


Syrup and Honey

by heartsmadeofbooks



Series: Syrup and Honey [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: Angst, Baker!Kurt, Drama, Family Issues, Friends to Lovers, Homophobia, M/M, Romance, lawyer!blaine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:40:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 116,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29136447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartsmadeofbooks/pseuds/heartsmadeofbooks
Summary: Kurt Hummel is 25 years old when he finds himself being the owner of the bakery he had been dreaming about his whole life, just in time to sweeten up Blaine Anderson's days.
Relationships: Blaine Anderson & Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel
Series: Syrup and Honey [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072250
Comments: 37
Kudos: 54





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!  
> As promised, I'm here to upload (slowly, please be patient with me!) all my old fics to AO3.  
> I thought we could start things with a bang and get Syrup and Honey up first.  
> This story has brought a lot of joy to my life ever since I posted it back in 2012 (wow). There's not a week that goes by since then that I don't receive a review, a message, a tweet or some kind of comment on it. I'm very happy that it's meant a lot to so many people, because it was a turning point for me.  
> It's probably not as good as everyone seems to remember it being (I'm kind of scared of going through it as I repost it), but I hope you'll enjoy it, no matter if you're here to read it for the tenth time or the first.  
> Here we go!

Kurt Hummel had stopped having grand dreams when he was eight years old. It didn't mean his dreams were irrelevant or that he didn't dream at all. It just meant that he had a new view about what the important things in life were. Losing your mother at such a young age tends to change you and make you realize things like that.

Kurt didn't really care about being on stage, or being adored by thousands of people or having a glamorous life any more. And if he hadn't been sure, the heart attack his father had suffered when he was in his junior year of high school definitely did the trick: what Kurt Hummel cared for most was his family.

Dreams of New York and Broadway were replaced by memories of perfect Sunday mornings with his mother. Elizabeth and Kurt had begun a tradition of their own: she would wake him up every Sunday with a kiss on the nose and piggy-back him downstairs to the kitchen. It was the only day Kurt didn't mind being in his pajamas all day, as they worked together baking cookies, icing cupcakes, making special cakes for his dad or trying pretty much every recipe in Elizabeth's baking book. Once Elizabeth had passed away, Kurt had clung to that tradition, every single Sunday without exception, although for a very long time the lack of his mother's voice humming, laughing or just echoing against the walls stung his heart. But their traditions were also the only way he had to keep her close now that she was gone, so Kurt kept baking every Sunday, going through her recipes book and singing the same songs they used to sing together as they mixed the batter or waited for the oven timer to go off.

That's why after graduation, he decided to stay in Ohio. He wanted to have his family nearby. Leaving Burt behind wasn't even something he wanted to consider, not even now that his father was married again and had a step-son. Finn was taking over Hummel Tires and Lube, the garage Burt Hummel had spent years and years working at so hard, while Kurt moved to Columbus to go to college. He had been accepted into Bradford, where he decided to get a degree in Culinary Arts.

Staying in Ohio also meant Kurt wouldn't escape from the dangers of being an out gay boy in a place where many people were homophobic morons, but he had toughened up a lot while he was still in high school, having to deal with bullies and the disgusted looks directed towards him every time he walked through the halls to class. He was who he was and he loved himself. And he knew he wasn't alone. He knew there were a lot of other people like him around, but that some of them were too scared or too confused to step up and admit it. So Kurt kept his head high and promised to himself nothing would bring him down, especially ignorant idiots who wanted to use the things he couldn't change against him.

Once he graduated he worked in several restaurants as he saved the money he needed for his real dream. He decided to stay in Columbus, since he had grown to like the city and it was only a little over two hours away from his family. If his dad needed him, he could be there quite soon.

"That's a stupid reason for sticking around, Kurt," Burt had told him during one of their traditional Friday night dinners, as Carole passed him the salad and Finn attacked his steak. "Maybe not next week, or next year or in another ten years, but one day I'll be gone. This is your moment, when you need to find your own life. You can't plan what you want to do depending on whether your old man has another heart attack or not…"

"Which you won't, because you've been eating healthy and doing exercises, right?" Kurt replied with a quirk of his eyebrow.

Burt sighed. "Of course, kiddo. Every day."

"And you haven't been lifting too much weight at the shop, right?" Kurt glanced quickly at Finn now, who was shoving a piece of bread into his mouth and just nodded.

"Kurt, I told you. You need to stop worrying. I'm the dad here, you know?" Burt gave him a fond smile.

"That doesn't make any difference. I love you and I want you to be okay," Kurt took a sip of water before continuing. "And I'm staying in Ohio because it's what I want."

"I still remember the way you used to talk about New York when you were a kid…" Burt insisted.

"I'm not a kid anymore," Kurt answered. It didn't hurt. It didn't make him feel like he was making a mistake. There was no pinch of longing inside of him. He was fine. This was what he really wanted. "And I don't care what happens in ten years or in thirty. You're my family and I want to be with all of you."

"You'll want a family of your own one day and I don't think Ohio is the best place for you to find it," Burt shrugged, but let go of the argument because he only had his son at home once a week and he didn't want to spend their time together upsetting him.

But even though Burt wanted something different for his son, even though he was afraid Kurt was limiting his possibilities just to be close to him, he was there to help when, by the time Kurt was twenty five, he managed to purchase his own home-slash-bakery. It was a lovely little two story building, the store downstairs and a tiny cozy apartment upstairs. Burt and Finn helped him move the furniture, paint the walls, unload the boxes from the moving truck and do the little repairs that were necessary. It was an old heritage building, after all, and the plumbing and some of the electricity weren't ideal, but with a little help from both of them, Kurt found it absolutely perfect. Carole helped by hanging frames, putting up curtains and keeping everyone hydrated and fed. By the time they were gone, Kurt was exhausted, but happier than he had ever been. This was his home, a place he could really call his own, something he had been working for since he had graduated high school.

The living room and the kitchen were the same space, with only three doors leading to the only bedroom, a bathroom and the narrow hallway with the staircase to go downstairs. He could probably cross the entire apartment in fifteen steps or less. He still wanted to make a lot of changes to the place, but he already loved it. One of the walls was made of bricks and three others were white. He was thinking about painting it a bolder color, maybe some shade of red. The roof was wood, as well as the floors. Luckily, there was no carpet on them. The kitchen had an old time feeling to it, the countertops taken from a 50s movie and the stove didn't look much more newer than that. He had brought with him the same couch he had bought for his previous apartment that he had shared with a roommate, a girl he knew from one of his classes. It was dark beige and although it wasn't the prettiest couch in the world, it was so comfortable that Kurt just _had_ to keep it. The dining table was small, even two people would have trouble fitting at it, but Kurt figured he wouldn't need more than that. He still needed to buy chairs, a few bookshelves and two night stands for his bedroom, in which he currently had only a queen size bed. He barely had room to move between the bed and the closet, but he was okay with it. He just felt _right_ being there.

He still had a lot of work to do in the bakery, too. He still needed to install all the appliances in the kitchen, do some painting, decorate… He was sure he wouldn't be able to have his grand opening for at least two weeks, but he was still looking forward to it. Finn had promised to come back in a couple of days to help him and Kurt was actually glad that he would get to spend some quality time with his brother. Having dinner with him on Fridays sometimes wasn't enough to catch up on the things going on in their lives.

He was way too exhausted that day to do much more. Kurt knew the unpacking couldn't wait much longer (especially his clothes, which needed to be hung stat), but he couldn't find the energy to move from the couch once he let himself take a break. He reached for his messenger bag, which was lying on the floor close to him and fished out a book he had been reading. He settled down on the couch, head on the armrest, and opened it at the page he had left off, taking a deep breath and allowing himself to relax for a few minutes. He hadn't been there long when he heard a meow and then a fluffy, dark chocolate-furred cat was climbing up next to him and purring his way onto Kurt's stomach to take a nap.

"Are you happy with our new home, Brownie?" He asked her in a low voice as he tried to bite back a yawn. Brownie blinked her huge, round, green eyes at him. "Yeah, me too."

Five minutes later, they were both fast asleep.

* * *

Finn came over, as promised, and brought Puck with him. Kurt hadn't seen his brother's best friend in a long time, and was surprised when he was enveloped by Puck's arms in a bone crushing hug.

"How are you doing, man?" Puck asked with a big grin. "We need to get together more often. Go party. I haven't seen you in forever."

"I'm not sure I'd like to see what kind of parties you'd drag me to, Noah, but thanks for the invitation," Kurt laughed. It warmed his heart to see how Puck had changed over the years he had known him. He had gone from cliché bully-jock to accepting friend in a surprisingly short span of time.

The three men worked together all afternoon. Puck was invaluable, since he had been working in construction almost since he had finished high school. They managed to make the task fun and the kitchen was almost completely ready by the time the sun started setting. Kurt had left them working and singing Tom Petty songs about an hour before he brought a fresh batch of cookies and glasses of milk for both of them. Finn's eyes lit up as if he had seen a miracle.

Kurt used his brother's help on three more occasions before there were only little details to finish in the bakery. The fully-equipped kitchen looked amazing and he only needed to go shopping for a few tables and chairs before the opening. And he needed to bake… a lot.

On the day prior to the opening, the words _Ellie's Bakery_ were painted above the door. He knew he could've come up with a more original name, but the meaning behind it was more important than anything else. His mother's recipe book was placed in a spot of honor on the counter, next to the antique register he had found at a flea market a couple of weeks ago. The walls had been painted in a warm, delicate yellow, the hardwood floors contrasting beautifully with them. There were a few tables scattered around the room, and several displayers for the cakes, cupcakes, cookies and other baked goods Kurt would be making that same night. Behind the counter in a corner, there was a big, shiny coffee machine and a neat stack of paper cups with the bakery's logo on them.

Kurt couldn't believe everything was finally ready after dreaming about it for so long, but when he looked around the shop later that day, the realization hit him and he couldn't stop smiling despite his nerves. He just wanted everything to be perfect, to make his mom proud, wherever she was.

That night, he baked all of her favorite recipes and when he was done, he went upstairs, exhausted, excited and hoping his dreams wouldn't collapse even before he had the chance to taste what it felt like to make them true.

* * *

Burt cried when he saw the name of the place. Kurt hadn't mentioned anything because he wasn't sure what his father would think, but he certainly wasn't expecting the tears falling down his face and the way he squeezed his shoulder, almost making Kurt's knees give in.

"What do you think?" Kurt asked, when he couldn't stand the silence anymore, voice a little shaky.

Burt sniffed and cleared his throat. "She'd love it, kiddo. She'd be so proud of you…"

Kurt managed to form a watery smile. "I hope so." He paused for a moment, letting the emotion sink in and allowing himself to calm down. "Well, would you like to be my first customer or not? I thought that was why you came all the way over here…"

"Of course. Come on, give me your best cup of coffee and one of those muffin things…"

Kurt flipped the sign on the door to open before walking to the counter and giving his dad what he'd ordered. Burt insisted on paying even though Kurt didn't want him to, but accepted a second cup of coffee for free when Kurt frowned at him, displeased.

A few customers came in while his dad was still there and Kurt nervously got them their orders and smiled at them brightly when they asked if the place was new because they hadn't seen it before. The bakery was ideally situated, right in the main part of town. The relatively small building seemed lost between the other larger buildings around, but he loved it. It reminded him of the house on _Stuart Little_ he had liked so much when he was a kid.

After an hour or so, Burt had to leave. "I promised Finn I'd be back at the shop before his lunch break."

"Okay, but don't rush and drive safely, okay? You want something else? Water? Tea?" Kurt asked nervously, fixing the scarf around his father's neck.

"Kiddo, I'm fine, stop it," Burt laughed, enveloping him in a hug. "I'll be back with Carole as soon as she has a day off. She was really upset she couldn't come in with me today."

"Oh! That reminds me!" Kurt went behind the counter to retrieve a paper bag. "I made one of my sandwiches for Finn and one of those little apple pies Carole loves so much. Could you give these to them?"

Burt grabbed the bag. "Of course. I'll have to hide the pie from Finn, but I'll do my best to get it to Carole."

Kurt walked him outside, looking up at the darkening sky. It looked like it was about to start raining soon. "Are you sure you want to drive in this weather?"

"I have to get back to the shop."

"I could drive you…"

"Kurt," Burt looked at him pointedly. "This is the opening day of your first business. You are not closing to take your old man back to work when he can drive perfectly fine himself."

Kurt nodded slowly. "Okay, but… just call me when you get there, please?"

With a tired sigh, Burt kissed his forehead. "I will, kiddo." He climbed in the driver's seat of his truck and lowered the window to talk to his son. "Congratulations, Kurt. I'm proud of you."

Kurt's smile was bigger than Burt had ever seen it. "Thank you, Dad."

He watched the car until it was lost in the distance, before he turned around and went back into the store.

* * *

It wasn't normal for Blaine Anderson to zone out, but for some reason, he had that day. Being snapped out of it by his father dropping a heavy file in front of him on top of the shiny mahogany conference table wasn't the best way to come back to reality.

"Are you even listening?" Walter Anderson quirked an eyebrow severely at his son, looking down at him with cold, hazel eyes.

Blaine blinked and cursed himself internally, before sitting up straighter. "Yes, sir, I'm sorry."

The conference room was silent. There were a dozen co-workers sitting around the large table with them and the awkwardness in the air was almost palpable. Someone coughed, there was the almost imperceptible sound of a coffee cup being gently settled onto its saucer, Blaine glanced around trying to hide how uncomfortable he felt.

"Then could you please tell me what information you have about the company you've been investigating?" Walter asked, still looking down at him as if he was watching a little kid who had made a mess of his Sunday clothes ten minutes before they were supposed to leave for church. He extended a hand, sighing impatiently.

Blaine started frantically looking through a folder he had brought to the meeting, to gather all the files he had printed the previous day, but apparently he wasn't fast enough for his father's taste.

"The meeting is over, everyone," he announced with an inexpressive voice.

Blaine froze as he heard the rush of steps signaling people trying to get out of the conference room as fast as possible. He thought he heard one of the secretaries mumbling something that sounded a lot like _he always treats his son as if he were nothing but garbage_.

Blaine hated that. Not the fact that Walter Anderson was far from being the loving father most boys would want to have, but the fact that he knew people in the office talked about it. He knew everyone watched them, followed the way his Dad always expected him to screw up. He knew everyone felt bad for him, but he didn't want their pity. He was used to this. It would never change.

"Did you do what I asked you?" Walter asked, still cold, maintaining the distance. There was never a casual squeeze of the shoulder or a gentle smile. There weren't any encouraging words or paternal praise.

"Of course I did, Dad, I just…" Blaine started saying, sighing.

"Well, it doesn't look like it."

Blaine's eyes locked with his. They looked the same, at a glance, but Blaine's had always been warmer, a lot more honest and, unfortunately for him, a lot more transparent, which caused people to see right through him when he was feeling something particularly intense. It didn't help him protect himself from his father. Being an open book had only gotten him into trouble in his life.

But what he hated the most was feeling that he had to protect himself from the man who was supposed to love him unconditionally.

"I'm sorry I got distracted. It won't happen again," Blaine muttered, avoiding his father's glance, concentrating on locating the documents he had been looking for. He extended the papers to his father, who took them without ceremony and started scanning them quickly.

"You'd better not. If you want to earn the right to be promoted to partner you have to stop acting like a spoiled child, Blaine." Walter walked towards the window as he studied the documents. "And work harder. This is poorly developed. Just because you're my son it doesn't mean you can be lazy and expect good things to rain on you."

Blaine felt the anger curling in his stomach, making his fingers tingle as if they were trying to close and form fists. He should be used to this. Why did he still care what he had to say? His father made sure he told him every single day what a disappointment Blaine was. After so many years, one would think the effect would have worn off, but it was still there and it hurt today as badly as the first time.

A few seconds later, the file Blaine had spent an entire week working on, the file that had kept him up all night during the weekend, the one he had read a thousand times to make sure it didn't have any mistakes, was dropped in front of him on the table with a dull thump.

"Rewrite this whole thing and give it back to me by tomorrow noon," Walter said, not even sparing a second glance at him before he left the conference room.

With a sigh of frustration, Blaine let his face fall into his hands. In moments like this, hatred filled him like a poison. And it wasn't even hatred for his father. It was hatred for himself.

Why couldn't he just tell Walter to fuck off? Why did he have that annoying need to try pleasing people he knew he'd never please? His father was a lost cause, his entire family was, and it had been like that since he had come out.

He knew that if he wasn't gay at least his mother would have intervened for him. He'd still be her baby. But Amanda Anderson was disgusted by him and Blaine could see it in her face every time they were together. He felt so absolutely unloved and alone in his life, it caused a constant pain in his chest. He had been naïve enough to think he could make them change their minds. He had been stupid enough to believe that if he showed them how much he cared about them, and how important it was for him to be accepted by them, his parents would love him back.

Unable to stay in that suffocating conference room for one more minute, Blaine got up suddenly and gathered his things. He walked down the hallway to his office, ignoring the whispers inevitably reaching his ears. There were always whispers. People were always talking. He pushed open the door with the bronze plaque that read _Blaine Anderson, Attorney at Law_ and closed it behind him, resisting the urge to slam it shut. He dropped the folders and files he was carrying on his desk and started pacing restlessly around the room, taking deep breaths and forcing himself to calm down, but feeling it was impossible.

His hazel eyes fell on the clock on his desk and he realized it was past lunch time. He needed an excuse, and he was going to take whatever he could find. He grabbed his coat and his scarf from the hook behind the door and put them on.

His secretary approached him as soon as he opened the door again. "Mr. Anderson! Would you like me to order your lunch? That place around the corner is making the chicken you-…"

"No, thank you, Lucy, I'm going out for lunch," Blaine answered, without stopping. She said something else, but he wasn't listening anymore. He needed to get the hell out of there.

He got on the elevator and impatiently waited for it to take him twelve floors down to the lobby. Only when he got out of the building and he felt his clothes getting instantly damp did he notice it was raining. He cursed his bad luck and considered going back inside, but facing the rain was preferable to going back to the proximity of his father, so he hunched his shoulders and began to walk.

Blaine didn't feel like walking in the rain for too long, though, so he looked around for something to catch his eye. There was a place he hadn't seen before, so he assumed it was new. He couldn't see it clearly from where he was standing, but he saw a glimpse of tables and chairs, so it would do. He wasn't very hungry anyway, he just needed to escape for a while.

He crossed the street quickly, avoiding the cars coming and going on the slippery pavement and pushed the glass door open, shaking his head like a dog to get rid of the water dripping into his eyes. It was incredible how wet he had gotten in just the short time he had been in the rain. It was falling hard and, one quick glance at the sky told him it wasn't going to stop any time soon.

"Oh, whoa, how brave of you to venture out in this weather!" A voice came from the other side of the room and Blaine turned his head around to see a man quickly approaching him from behind the counter.

It took him a few seconds to _really_ see him, but once he did… it felt as if all the air in his lungs had been sucked right out of him. The most gorgeous eyes he had seen in his life gazed back at him and he tried to figure out how it was possible to have eyes with so many colors in them at the same time. He was wearing tasteful, clearly expensive clothes enhanced by the delightful paleness of his skin. The red sweater hung on him as if it had been made to be worn by him, fitting delicately around his slim waist and broad, yet delicate, shoulders. It was loose and it looked soft at the touch, giving Blaine the urge to reach out and test that theory. The dark jeans were really skinny and were tucked into black boots. Blaine had never seen a man dressed like that and he loved it. His chestnut hair was perfectly coiffed and Blaine realized that he was looking at the most stunning man he had ever seen in his life.

And then Blaine noticed his pink, beautiful lips were moving, so he forced himself to pay attention.

"… sit down and I can get you a towel, if you want?" The blue-gray-green eyes were looking at him with a gentle glow and Blaine was still trying to get back some of the air he had lost at the sight of him.

"Yeah, yeah, sure, thanks," he managed to mumble. When the other man pointed at one of the tables, he walked there and sat down, thankful that the chairs didn't have any cushions on them because he was still dripping wet.

He looked around as the man searched around in the room that he assumed was the kitchen. The place was cute but it was instantly obvious it wasn't a restaurant. The sign on the wall behind the counter with the words _Ellie's Bakery_ confirmed it. The glass displays on the opposite side of the room were full of delicious looking cupcakes, pies and cakes and two big jars on the counter were filled with two different kinds of cookies.

Before he had the chance to take in more details, his host was back, carrying a fluffy, white towel.

"Here," he said with a kind smile, extending it to him. Blaine stood up and accepted it immediately.

"Thank you so much," Blaine answered in what he hoped wasn't a bitter voice. He still hadn't shaken off the vestiges of his annoyance and he desperately needed to. "Is this place new? I work in that building over there and it's the first time I've seen it…"

"Today's the opening day, actually," the man sighed as he looked out the window. "Clearly not my lucky day…"

"Uh, yeah, I don't think you'll be getting a lot of customers with this weather," Blaine stripped out of his coat and scarf, grateful that his black suit had remained untouched by the water, and toweled his hair, glad he had gel in his desk drawer back at his office. He knew his curls must've broken free and he probably looked like a mess. "It's a shame, this place is really nice."

"Thank you!" The man's excitement was evident and he gave Blaine a big grin. "I guess there will be plenty of better days."

"I'm sure there will," Blaine finished drying himself and stood awkwardly, with the towel still in his hands. "Thanks for this."

"No problem," he took it back from Blaine, still grinning. "Can I get you anything else?"

It was amazing how contagious the man's smile was. Blaine felt a smile of his own trying to tug at his lips. "What would you recommend?"

"Oh, well, I spent a particularly long time with the apple pies," he replied and Blaine felt another tug, this time somewhere in his stomach, that caused him to follow the man across the room to where the displayers with the pies were. "But I'm also quite proud of that blueberry cheesecake," he added, pointing it out.

Blaine felt his mouth watering. "Everything looks so great…"

"Thanks," the man smiled once again and he really, _really_ needed to stop doing that because Blaine wasn't sure he could take any mire. Blaine was silent for what it seemed a whole minute before he turned around to look at him with narrowed eyes. "You wanted something for lunch, didn't you? You're too polite to tell me you came in here because it was raining too hard and that you actually don't want any deserts right now."

Blaine laughed. It was real, clear laughter, and he wasn't sure he had laughed like that in a while. He wasn't sure why he was doing it now, either. "Well, yes, my intention was to have lunch, but I'll be fine with a piece of that blueberry cheesecake, don't worry."

The man narrowed his eyes even more, as if he were calculating. "Do you have much time?"

"Time? Time for what?" Blaine asked, confused. When the other didn't answer and just kept looking at him expectantly, he nodded. "Yeah, I should have at least an hour, I guess. Why?"

"Is there any food you don't like?" The man questioned, as he moved towards the door Blaine had guessed was the kitchen.

"Oysters. I eat everything except for oysters and I will never understand why people like them," he answered, moving to stand in front of the counter, still a bit confused. "What are you doing?"

"Take a seat, I'll try to be quick!" The other called from the kitchen.

Unsure, yet curious, Blaine obliged. He went back to his table and sat down, letting himself be distracted by the sounds of the cute guy working on the other side of the wall and the rain falling hard and steady outside.

Something about being here felt nice. It was a different world from the one back at the firm's offices. It was warm and calm inside the little bakery, a clear contrast to the cold, hectic atmosphere constantly charged with stress, tension and the noises of phones ringing and people coming and going back at Anderson and Wallace.

He sighed as he let his eyes fix on the window of the building across the street that he knew belonged to his father's office. He felt so tired, suddenly…

"Would you like something to drink?" The man's voice interrupted his thoughts and startled him. "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you were… sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine. Sorry. I was distracted," Blaine smiled. Twice in a day. That wasn't usual for him. He always forced his mind to focus as expected of him… for what? For more criticism? More mocking from his father? "What did you say?"

"Would like something to drink?" He tried again. "Water? Juice? Coffee?"

"A coffee would be great, thanks," Blaine answered, thinking it would help him shake off whatever was wrong with him today.

"Coming right up," the man turned around and went behind the counter, to the huge coffee machine he had there. "Your food will be out in ten minutes, give or take a few, if that's okay with you?"

"Sure, but… what…?" Blaine stared at him confused as he poured coffee into a paper cup.

"Ah, it's a surprise!" He returned and put the steaming coffee in front of Blaine on the table.

"I… okay," Blaine had never been to a place like this and he had most certainly never met a man like this. "Can I… can I ask you a question?" He said before he could stop himself. The man nodded. "What's your name?"

He needed a name to attach to that perfect face. A creature as astounding like the one standing in front of him couldn't just be anonymous.

With another grin, the man answered: "Kurt."

"Kurt," Blaine repeated and although it wasn't a name he hadn't heard before, it sounded absolutely magical right now. "I'm Blaine."

"Nice to meet you, Blaine," Kurt replied happily.

Blaine tried to find something clever to say, but apparently he wasn't the only one brave enough (or stupid enough) to go out in the rain, because the door opened and an older lady came in.

Kurt directed him one last smile before walking back to the counter, where the woman was carefully studying the variety of cakes and immediately started asking Kurt questions, saying she needed some baked goods for her tea party that same afternoon.

Kurt's voice was soothing, Blaine realized as he vaguely listened to their conversation. He could already feel the vestiges of his anger and his frustration melting away. The atmosphere inside the little bakery also helped: the smell of delicious food, the warmth coming from the kitchen, the large windows that made him feel as if he was still outside with the rain but with the safety of a roof above his head.

Kurt put half a dozen cupcakes in a box with the store's logo and gave it to the lady, who smiled her thanks and left, holding a huge blue umbrella to shelter herself from the water. Instead of coming back to Blaine's table, Kurt went into the kitchen.

Blaine sipped his coffee, letting his mind wander back to the file he had left on his desk. His father had him researching the suing company for their latest case and Walter was hoping Blaine could find something dirty to take them down, but as far as Blaine could tell, there was nothing out of place. He didn't know what else to do to keep his father appeased. It didn't matter how hard he worked, Walter always found a flaw.

A plate was placed in front of him and the tempting smell made him look down.

"Cheese, ham and ciboulette Panini," Kurt announced with a little bow. "I hope you like it."

"Oh my God," Blaine's mouth was already watering. "This looks fantastic, Kurt, you really didn't have to…"

"I wanted to," Kurt interrupted with a smile. "And, to be honest, I've been thinking about including a few savory options, but I wasn't sure if I should."

Blaine already had the first bite of Panini in his mouth and was trying not to burn his tongue while chewing. "Mm, _welf, youf defifitely fhould._ "

"Come again?" Kurt asked with an amused expression. Blaine swallowed.

"You definitely should. This is amazing, really."

"Thank you," Kurt said brightly.

"No, thank _you_ ," Blaine put his fork down for a moment to look at the man standing right next to him. "It was very nice of you, I mean it. You didn't have to go to all that trouble."

"It wasn't trouble at all," Kurt swayed back and forth on his feet, adorably. "I was bored, actually. This isn't as nearly exciting as I hoped my first day would be."

Blaine chuckled and was about to answer when the door opened again. He didn't miss the enthusiastic flash in Kurt's beautiful eyes when he saw a woman in a suit coming in. It was absolutely precious.

Blaine kept eating as he watched Kurt ring in a cup of coffee and a chocolate chip muffin. His lunch incredibly delicious. He wasn't sure he had tasted something as good as that in his entire life, and his parents had forced him to eat at innumerable restaurants and parties with gourmet chefs.

He felt a buzzing in his pocket and swallowed a bit of Panini before answering his cellphone, too busy glancing at Kurt to check the ID.

"Yeah?"

"Blaine, where are you?" His father's voice said and just like that, all the pressure, all the bitterness came back to him. Blaine slowly put down his fork and pushed the plate away.

"I went out for lunch, I…"

"Well, get back here. We don't have all day," Walter growled moodily. "We have a meeting scheduled for Mrs. Donahue's case."

Shit. Blaine had completely forgotten about that. What was with him today? "Alright, I'll be there in five minutes, I'm just across the street…"

Walter hung up the phone without another word. Blaine took a deep breath as he shoved the phone back into his pocket.

"Everything alright?" Kurt asked hesitantly, his eyes glancing between Blaine's face and his abandoned lunch.

"Yeah, I just have to go back to work," Blaine sighed. He grabbed his wallet from his other pocket. "You've been really kind, Kurt, thanks a lot."

"It was nothing," Kurt smiled, shrugging adorably. Blaine felt a pinch of sadness. He didn't really want to go back to the office. He would've rather stayed there with Kurt watching the rain all day.

"Believe me, it was _something_ ," Blaine put a twenty on the table. "Keep the change."

"I… thanks," Kurt sounded doubtful again as he watched Blaine grab his things. He picked up the dirty dishes and started returning them to the kitchen. Just when Blaine was about to reach to open the door and go back outside into the storm, Kurt turned around quickly. "Cheesecake!" He pretty much yelled.

Blaine looked at him with confusion in his hazel eyes. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I'll give you a piece of the blueberry cheesecake to go. You paid more than enough and I'd really like someone to try it," Kurt put the plate down and looked for a little box to put the cake in, but Blaine suddenly had a better idea.

"Tomorrow," he murmured. Kurt stopped to glance at him. "I-I can come back tomorrow. For the cheesecake."

Kurt's smile shouldn't have been that bright. "Okay."

Blaine swallowed. Kurt's smile was beautiful. _He_ was beautiful. Everything about him was absolutely beautiful… but he couldn't help feeling he was getting himself into trouble. Because Kurt was the kind of beautiful that could be dangerous. And Blaine's life couldn't fit any more complicated things into it.

Still, he couldn't help but grin back, though not as brightly as Kurt did.


	2. Chapter 2

The rain hadn't slowed and it didn't show any signs that it would soon. Kurt closed the store when it was time, sighing in a mix of contentment and frustration. He was still excited for his dream coming true, but the weather had made opening day much less of a success that he had hoped it would be.

That night, after he finished baking a few more things for the next day, he sat with Brownie on the couch, watching re-runs of _Grey's Anatomy_ and eating a chicken salad, already in his pajamas and so tired he could've fallen asleep right there.

Even though he hadn't had the flow of customers he had been expecting, the ones he _had_ gotten left him with the feeling he was doing things right. Especially that gorgeous stranger, Blaine. Something had told him the man had been looking for shelter from not only the rain that day. His hazel eyes had been really expressive and though Kurt hadn't asked if something was bothering him, he could see there was. He could see it in his gaze, in the smiles that didn't quite reach his eyes, in the way he seemed to get lost in himself. Kurt wondered what kind of man Blaine was. He had a sweet, gentle air, but he seemed so restrained, as if he had to control his every action and Kurt was certainly intrigued. He was also intrigued by the way he had felt so instantly charmed by him, but could anyone really blame him?

The sound of the phone distracted him from his thoughts of that mysterious yet adorable stranger. It was Carole, who had just gotten home from a long shift at work and wanted to know everything about Kurt's first day in the bakery. She sounded tired but enthusiastic with every detail he told her and by the time he hung up the phone fifteen minutes later, he was also so exhausted that Blaine was pushed to the back of his mind. He got up, quickly washed his dishes, turned the TV off and went straight to bed, Brownie following behind him, purring softly.

He got under the sheets with a sigh of relief, the warm weight of his kitty by his feet and fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

His last conscious thought was one single word that slipped through his lips like a breath: _tomorrow_.

* * *

At noon, Kurt's eyes started glancing toward the door every few seconds as he worked. The weather was much nicer than the day before and people seemed to be making up for such a lousy opening. There was a small queue in front of the counter and two of the four tables were occupied.

By twelve thirty, the sound of the door opening made him hold his breath until he studied the new customers coming in to make sure they didn't have hazel eyes and gelled dark hair.

At one o'clock, a lady came in to place an important order of cupcakes for a party in one of the surrounding buildings. They needed to be done for the next day and Kurt spent about twenty minutes writing down flavors and different request the woman had. After that, he kept himself easily distracted as he made sure he had enough ingredients for the order.

By two o'clock, Blaine's absence was quite obvious. He eyed the cheesecake in the display next to him quickly, but plastered a smile on his face to greet the next customer.

By four o'clock, Kurt told himself he was silly for letting something like this affect him in any way. He didn't even know Blaine. And even if the other man had come in like he had promised, it didn't mean anything. The guy was probably straight and had a girlfriend. He didn't need a crush on one of his customers. It was the worst idea ever.

By six o'clock, Kurt closed the store and threw the cheesecake in the garbage before going to the kitchen to bake two hundred cupcakes.

* * *

Blaine walked out of the building and looked at the closed bakery across the street. It was already dark outside and he had stayed extra late working on a case that his father was pressuring him with. He gripped his briefcase with more strength than necessary before turning around and walking to the parking lot to get his car.

He didn't know what was happening to him, but the way his eyes had kept drifting towards the window to stare at the little bakery all day couldn't mean anything good. He had resisted the impulse to cross the street and sit down at one of the little tables and let the delicious food comfort him. But, what for? Blaine knew himself very well. He knew that if he allowed himself to get close to Kurt, he'd fall in love with him. What was not to love? The man seemed pretty much perfect. But what wasn't perfect, despite all appearances, was Blaine's life. Falling in love wasn't part of his plans. Falling in love would never be in his plans.

It was better that way, he assured himself later that night, as he lay in bed alone, unable to fall asleep as loneliness seemed to close around him like a trap.

* * *

Autumn leaves started decorating Columbus' streets with their shades of ocher and Kurt kept a smile on his face as he swept them off the door of the bakery every morning. Business was going strong and he had started thinking about hiring someone else to help him, though he was a little reticent. This was all his. This was his home and his life, and this was what he had worked so hard for his entire life and although he felt a bit selfish, he didn't want to share it. He knew it was stupid of him, that having someone at the counter while he was at the back in the kitchen getting orders done and refilling the displayers would save him precious time and probably money, but… he still wanted to hold on to how special it felt to do this on his own for a little longer, even if he had to keep sacrificing his almost non-existent free time to keep _Ellie's_ going. Kurt stayed up 'til late every night baking for the next day and woke up really early to be ready to receive customers. His body was starting to complain, but the happiness he felt with his success were more than enough to silence it.

He glanced at the clock quickly over his shoulder. He had a delivery to make in fifteen minutes, so he would need to close to store for a little bit. Luckily, it was in one of the buildings across the street, so it shouldn't take him longer than five minutes. He usually didn't offer delivery services, but the woman who had come to place the order was really demanding and seemed to doubt he could get the cake she ordered there on time and in the right place, and Kurt Hummel rarely let an opportunity to show people how wrong they were pass.

He went inside, picked up the box and turned the closed signed on the door before locking it and shoving the keys in his jacket's pocket as he checked the address on the paper taped to the lid of the box. Yes, it was the building right across the street, so he crossed quickly, avoiding the traffic.

The building was fancy and the lobby was too cold and too impersonal for his taste. He assumed there was some sort of huge company situated there. Two security guards were sitting at a desk, controlling the people coming in and going out. Kurt walked towards them to announce himself.

"Hi, I'm here to make a delivery at…" he checked the note again. "Anderson and Wallace?"

"Name?" Asked one of the security guards, evidently bored.

"Kurt Hummel, from _Ellie's Bakery_ ," Kurt answered. "I'm supposed to deliver this to Ms. Collins."

Without saying anything to him, the man picked up a phone and dialed a number. "Yes, this is security security, can you transfer me to Ms. Collins?" They waited as the call was transferred. "Ms. Collins, this is Bill from security. There's a man here with a delivery for you from _Ellie's Bakery_." They exchanged a few more words and then he hung up. "You can go up. Twelfth floor, ask for Ms. Collins once you're there." He handed Kurt a magnetic card so he could pass through to the elevators.

Kurt hummed along with the monotonous elevator song as he watched the digital numbers above the door slowly change. When it stopped at the twelfth floor, he got out and looked around. He immediately found a desk with a receptionist. who was speaking on the phone, so he patiently waited until she was done.

Kurt smiled at her. "Hi! I'm here with a delivery for Ms. Collins."

"You'll find her at the end of this hallway, she's Mr. Anderson's secretary," the woman directed Kurt to the left.

"Thanks!" Kurt turned and walked past numerous elegant offices. He had already guessed from the sign behind the receptionist that this was a law firm, so he wasn't exactly surprised. It all seemed pretty prestigious, too.

The door at the end of the hallway had a bronze plaque with the words _Walter Anderson, Attorney at Law_ emblazoned on it. Kurt knocked softly and waited until he was told to come in.

There was a small office that obviously worked as a reception area for a bigger, more important office where the woman who had come to the bakery was sitting at a mahogany desk. She was in her thirties, her blonde hair too perfect, her make up almost professional, her clothes a bit too tight (and that coming from a man who loved skinny jeans, Kurt thought). She was the image of the kind of secretary who is there not only to get her job done, but to look pretty while doing it, too. He couldn't help but wonder if Mr. Anderson was the cliché of a boss who slept with his secretary …

"Hi, I'm here to deliver the cake you ordered," Kurt said with one of his most radiant smiles.

"You're late," Ms. Collins said as a greeting.

Kurt quirked an eyebrow. "No, I'm not. We agreed I should be here at ten. It's nine fifty five."

The woman rolled her eyes and extended her hand to take the box. Kurt handed it to her. She opened it and peeked inside. "Vanilla iced…?"

"… with peppermint buttercream and chocolate chips?" Kurt said, starting to get annoyed. "Yes, miss."

"Good," she started going through the contents of her drawer until she found a check book, where she had obviously already written one for Kurt, because she immediately extended it to him.

Before any of the two had time to say anything else, the door to the main office opened. Kurt turned around to find a man in his fifties (probably not younger than fifty four) that looked slightly familiar… and when the other man stepped out of the office he knew exactly why.

"That's the end of it, Blaine, and I won't discuss it further," the older man said coldly. Then, he sighed, a bit exaggeratedly. "You're _such_ a disappointment. Do you realize the job I'm asking you to do is something the idiots that deliver my mail could do? I don't even know why I bother to try with you."

Blaine had kept his gaze down the entire time, but Kurt noticed how white his knuckles were from clenching his hands into tight fists. And then Mr. Anderson looked around and noticed they had an audience. He didn't seem particularly upset about it. It was obvious he didn't have a problem embarrassing his staff in front of others.

"Katherine, please come in, I need to dictate a few faxes," he said, holding the door open until Ms. Collins went through it. Then he closed it, not sparing a second glance at Blaine or Kurt.

Blaine, however, was apparently too absorbed to notice he wasn't alone, because he instantly reached for his skinny black tie to loosen the knot a bit and he let out a shaky, almost furious breath. And then, as he turned to leave the office, he found Kurt still standing there.

His hazel eyes grew impossibly wide and he parted his lips as if he wanted to say something.

"Hi," Kurt said softly, and, because he thought Blaine was having a hard time placing him, he added, "I'm Kurt, from the…"

"I know," Blaine's voice was a bit strained, as if talking required an effort for him at the moment. "Of course I know I…" He shut up and looked back down, swallowing. "What are you doing here?" He asked, quietly, as if trying to regain control of himself.

"Delivering a cake," Kurt answered, glancing at the box still on the desk.

"Oh, right, it's his birthday," Blaine let his eyes wander back to the woodgrained door before huffing in obvious annoyance and walking out to the hallway, Kurt following closely behind, as he had to go back to the store.

Kurt could see the tension in Blaine's back, on every muscle from his neck to his thighs, his hands still clenched in fists. He couldn't help himself. "Blaine…"

Blaine stopped and turned around to look at him, a slight note of surprise in his features, as if he didn't understand how he knew his name… or as if he didn't think Kurt would remember it.

"Are you okay?" Kurt muttered softly, lowering his voice when three secretaries walked by and stared at them pointedly.

Blaine's eyes were fixed on him with an air of incredulity deep in them. Kurt wasn't sure what he was doing wrong, but it seemed to really shock Blaine to hear him asking him that.

"I'm sorry, I'm overstepping. I'm gonna…" he tried to walk past him, but Blaine took a step aside to block his way.

"No, no, you're not…" Kurt noted his hands started to let go of the tight grip. "I just…"

"He probably isn't an easy boss, but you shouldn't take him so seriously, I'm sure you do your best," Kurt's smile was so warm that Blaine felt the ice his father's words had engendered him in melting a bit. "Don't let him bring you down."

"It's really complicated," Blaine mumbled, a bit flustered. He glanced at the door in front of which he was standing on and Kurt followed his gaze. There was another plaque there: _Blaine Anderson, Attorney at Law_.

Kurt actually gasped. "He's your _father_?"

Blaine bit his lip, visibly uncomfortable and looked everywhere but into Kurt's eyes. That was, at least, until he felt the soft pressure of a hand on his arm. Kurt's face was full of concern and his blue eyes were infinitely kind, and Blaine just couldn't understand why.

"I'm so sorry," Kurt whispered and there it was, that soothing, beautiful voice Blaine still thought about when he couldn't sleep at night. The hand around his arm squeezed gently.

There was a light cough and Kurt saw two men in expensive suits glaring at them, their cold, disapproving eyes fixed on Kurt's hand. He removed it immediately. Sometimes, when he had been able to hide in his own fantasy world for way too long, Kurt forgot about the homophobic assholes still wandering around. And it was more than obvious that was the reason for those two men to look at them like that. Kurt knew he was a bit flamboyant. He knew people looked at him and immediately labeled him as gay. He didn't care. It was who he was and they couldn't use it against him.

But it wasn't okay to drag Blaine into his own nightmares.

"I should probably go," Kurt said, avoiding Blaine's face until he knew the men were gone. "It was nice seeing you, Blaine."

He didn't give the other man a chance to say anything in return. He simply walked away, Blaine's hazel eyes glued to his retreating back, a beacon of incandescent light shining through the dreariness of gray suits, but too unreachable to shine a ray of hope onto his own life.

* * *

Blaine left the office as soon as he could that day. He felt suffocated, and he had been acting like a robot the whole day, pasting a smile on his lips every time someone patted him on the shoulder and told him _if you're half the man your father is when you get to his age, you can consider yourself lucky_. He wasn't so sure about that. Becoming his father was one of the things that terrified Blaine the most and the fact that he had followed his steps into the world of law didn't help to convince him otherwise. He casually loosened his tie, the knot too tight, not letting him breathe, closing around his throat like a threat.

It was almost six by the time Blaine stepped out of the building. The sky was darkened with clouds announcing imminent rain and his eyes instantly drifted towards the cute, cozy, little store across the street. It was still open. Two girls in school uniforms were leaving the bakery at that moment, both carrying little brown paper bags and cups of coffee and chatting animatedly.

Blaine had been avoiding this. He had told himself he couldn't go back in there, he couldn't allow himself to find a place – a _person_ – that made him feel he was finding sanctuary. He couldn't stay there permanently and the cold, raw world would only look worse when he had to leave it.

Still, his feet seemed completely disconnected from his brain, because before he knew it, he was crossing the street, briefcase bumping against his thigh, dodging a car that honked furiously at him. He stopped in front of the glass doors and looked inside. Kurt had his back to the front of the store and seemed to be piling empty trays that had previously had cupcakes on them. He then disappeared into the kitchen.

Blaine took a deep breath and went inside before he had time to change his mind.

He could hear Kurt's melodious voice humming from the other side of the wall as he slowly approached the counter. And Kurt must have heard him come in, because he interrupted the song for a few seconds to say "I'll be right there!"

Blaine paced around the bakery as he waited, and saw Kurt had put up a board with pictures pinned to it that wasn't there before. He moved closer to take a look at them and he couldn't hold back a smile when the first thing he saw was what unmistakably was a young Kurt wearing grease stained coveralls as he sat on a man's lap, looking extremely happy. That man could only be his dad, Blaine assumed, as he studied the way they both leaned into each other, warmth in their eyes. Kurt had been an adorable kid, he had to admit, as his eyes darted to another picture where he couldn't be more than five years old. He was wearing a grey shirt with a red bowtie, his hair perfectly brushed, as he sat at a tiny wooden table with a tea set and four plastic cupcakes on it. Across from him, sitting on one of the ridiculously small chairs, was a woman. Just one look at her told Blaine she had to be Kurt's mom. They had the same eyes, the same smile, even. The same happiness that he had sensed in the previous picture was there, too, as if little Kurt couldn't imagine his life any better than it was.

There were a few more pictures, some of them of an older Kurt, obviously with friends from high school and other family members, but Blaine didn't have time to see them all because he heard Kurt's steps coming back from the kitchen.

"Hi, what can I get you?" He asked cheerfully, and Blaine turned around to see him. The smile on Kurt's lips became a bit hesitant, but then went back to simply beautiful. "Hi, Blaine. I didn't think I'd see you again so soon. What can I do for you?"

Blaine tightened his grip on his briefcase. "I… promised I'd come back for that cheesecake, but I… didn't have the chance, so…"

"Oh, well…" Kurt's eyes moved to the displayer with cakes on the left. "I'm afraid I've run out of cheesecake."

Blaine followed his gaze. Now that he was here, he didn't want to leave just like that, so soon. He wanted to keep listening to Kurt's beautiful voice, he wanted to keep untangling the mystery that Kurt's eye color was to him, he wanted to keep looking at him for a few minutes more, wondering if that pale, creamy skin was as soft as it looked…

He nodded towards half a chocolate cake. "What about that one? Is it any good?"

Kurt gave him what it almost looked like an offended, yet cute glare. "Everything I bake is good."

"Of course," Blaine smiled a bit. He really couldn't help himself when he was around the other man.

"That's my Rachel cake. It's vegan," Kurt said as he walked to the displayer. "I like to create deserts based on my friends or family. She always complained there were not enough chocolate cakes for vegans, so here it is."

"I was never a fan of vegan cuisine, but I could try it out," Blaine muttered. "And that is actually really nice of you, naming deserts after the people you love."

"Except for my brother. I have a sandwich named after him," Kurt answered with a smirk. "And I think I can find something more suitable to your tastes…"

Blaine didn't say anything as Kurt carefully studied the contents of the two displayers in the store. Blaine still had no idea what he was doing there or what he was looking for or what he was expecting to happen. He only knew he had had a terrible day and that one second of Kurt smiling at him could make everything better. And he really didn't want to go home feeling bitter, desperate and… had he mentioned bitter?

"Here," Kurt came back to the counter carrying a red velvet cake with chocolate frosting. "I think you'd like this one."

"Does it have a name, too?" Blaine asked curiously, leaning against the counter to take a better look.

"No, I found this one in a recipe book," Kurt explained as he cut a piece. He looked hesitant for the second time. "I… would you like it to go or…?"

"Do you mind if I have it here?" Blaine said, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Not at all," Kurt smiled and placed the piece of cake on a white porcelain plate. He grabbed a fork from one of the drawers and hand it to Blaine. "Coffee?"

"Sure," Blaine nodded, feeling the tension easing a bit.

Kurt started the coffee machine and grabbed two paper cups from the stack next to it. As he waited for the coffee to reach the perfect temperature, he walked to the door and flipped the sign on the door to closed.

"Oh, wait… is it your closing time?" Blaine said, nervous again. "I can take it to go…"

"It's okay, I just don't want more people coming in, especially since I pretty much sold everything I baked last night," Kurt said as he poured two cups. He gave one to Blaine and kept the other to himself. "Would you like to sit down?"

Blaine walked to the table Kurt was pointing at and sat down, a bit surprised when the other man sat in front of him with his own cup. When he took a sip of the dark liquid, Kurt almost moaned in pleasure and he visibly relaxed.

"Long day?" Blaine took a sip, too, and sighed in contentment. It was much better than the coffee he had at his office.

"Very long day," Kurt sat back, getting comfortable, blue, beautiful eyes boring into Blaine's. "And I think you had a pretty exhausting one, too, am I right?"

Blaine clearly wasn't expecting that. He had just cut a piece of cake to take to his mouth and paused with the fork in the air. His hazel eyes looked a bit disturbed. "I…"

"Hey, it's fine, you don't have to say anything. It's just that it really seems you need to talk to someone," Kurt shrugged. "Most people are eager to get home after a rough day at work, but for some reason you're here, at a closed bakery, having coffee with a stranger."

"You're not a stranger, you're Kurt," he replied, before he could stop himself. And then he realized what he said. "I mean…"

"We've only seen each other twice, but we know each other's names, so I think, no, maybe we're not strangers anymore," Kurt conceded thoughtfully.

Blaine remained silent for a few seconds and to gain more time, he took a bite of cake. When the spongy red velvet and almost orgasmic chocolate touched his tongue, he had to use all his self-control not to moan loudly. "Oh my God, this is the most delicious thing I've ever eaten."

Kurt's grin was warm, almost bordering on loving, as he watched Blaine take a second bite. "I'm glad you like it."

"I'm going to take the rest of that cake home," Blaine used his fork to point at the cake still on the counter where Kurt had left it after cutting his piece.

"Okay, it's yours, then," Kurt said, amused.

Kurt finished his coffee as he watched Blaine practically devour the rest of the cake on his plate, both men not saying another word. But when the cake was gone, Blaine cupped his coffee between his hands and the uneasy feeling he had been carrying around all day (fuck it, all his _life_ ), was too overwhelming to keep ignoring it.

"I'm sorry you had to see that scene between me and my father today," he said, eyes glued to his cup, unable to stare at Kurt as he spoke.

"Don't be, it wasn't your fault," Kurt answered softly.

"Still, I feel terrible you had to see it," Blaine continued, voice low and a bit embarrassed.

Silence extended between them again, Blaine obviously without knowing what to say, as Kurt tried to find a way to comfort him.

"Don't take what he says so seriously…" he started and Blaine's eyes immediately went up to meet his, leaving Kurt almost breathless at the intensity he found in them.

"Oh, he makes sure I take everything he says seriously," Blaine laughed humorlessly.

"Why do you work with him if he makes you feel like this?" Kurt asked, curiously.

Blaine wasn't sure how much he should say, but his heart needed some relief, so he sighed before answering. "The only relationship I have with my father right now is through work. If I resigned and looked for a job somewhere else, it would be like having no father at all. It may sound stupid, but he's my family. I don't want to lose him."

 _I don't want to be alone_ , a voice in his head added, but Blaine didn't speak those words aloud.

"Have you ever talked to him, told him how you feel?" Kurt tilted his head to the side, as if he was trying to find a new angle to the situation.

The idea sounded so ridiculous that Blaine had to laugh bitterly again. "He's not exactly the kind of man who listens to what others have to say. He talks, he gives orders and he expects the rest of the world to be the ones listening and obliging."

Kurt made an effort to imagine what it would've been like to have a father like that, but the image of Burt, always so kind, so generous, so eager to help his son in any way he could, didn't allow him to. He only could guess how bad it must had been for the other man and he felt a pinch of pain in his heart for him.

"Oh, Blaine," he whispered and, without really thinking, he reached across the table and took his hand. Blaine stopped breathing, staring at their intertwined fingers until Kurt came back to his senses and pulled back, horrified with himself. "Oh God, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. That was inappropriate."

Blaine's skin was tingling where Kurt's hand had touched him. He _was_ soft. He swallowed with some difficulty, marveled at the numerous emotions that one simple touch had elicited on him. It was scary, Blaine thought. He hadn't felt anything like that for a very long time.

He forced himself to smile at Kurt, who seemed to be seriously beating himself up for holding his hand. "It's okay, really. I don't mind at all." _I loved it_.

"I still apologize. I don't know what's wrong with me, I've never been a touchy-feely person and this is the second time I've done that today," Kurt blushed, remembering how he had grabbed his arm earlier that day. "I hope… those men looked at us when I… I hope I didn't…"

"Oh," Blaine's eyes had sad sparks on them now. "Don't worry about it. I'm used to it…"

"Used to it?" Kurt quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I…" Blaine doubted. Should he be honest with Kurt? What would he say if he told him the truth? Blaine hadn't really said the words in a very long time and he felt them oppressing his heart, as if they were forming a cage around it. He just wanted to break free. "I'm gay."

Kurt blinked and that was all the response Blaine got from him.

"I… everyone knows at the office, so that's why they looked at us like that," Blaine explained, without really knowing why he kept talking. "They all think I have some sort of contagious disease. I'm sorry you had to go through it, that they made you feel uncomf-…"

"I'm gay, too," Kurt blurted out, apparently coming out of the trance Blaine's confession had put him in.

"Oh."

They looked at each other, silent, not knowing what exactly was happening.

And then Kurt started laughing. It was a clear, beautiful laugh that warmed Blaine all over.

"Why are you laughing?" Blaine asked, a huge smile spreading on his lips, as he looked at the flustered, gorgeous Kurt in front of him.

"I don't know," Kurt admitted, straightening up and wiping some tears from his eyes, as he tried to catch his breath. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh."

Blaine was amazed. Kurt seriously was the most interesting man he had ever met. "You know, this is the first time someone laughed at me when I came out to them."

"Oh, I'm not laughing at _you_ ," Kurt muttered, biting his lip. "This whole situation seemed so tense, like we were confessing our sins or something, it was so silly."

"Well, my mother would probably say we were," Blaine rolled his eyes.

Kurt stopped laughing instantly. His expression was concerned. "Are you saying your mother doesn't accept the fact that you're gay?"

"No," Blaine sounded confused. "Why would she?"

Kurt's eyes widened. "You think it's okay that your mother doesn't like who you are?"

"Isn't that some sort of rule?" Blaine shrugged, feeling really awkward.

" _No_ ," Kurt replied, horrified. "Oh my God, Blaine, do you honestly believe that?"

Blaine avoided his eyes. "I… I should go."

"No, no, wait," Kurt reached out again to take his hand and was relieved when Blaine didn't pull back immediately. "I'm sorry if I'm making you feel uncomfortable, I just… I don't understand."

"Are you trying to tell me that your parents are okay with you being gay?" Blaine asked with a tone that indicated he couldn't believe such a thing.

"Yes," Kurt said, simply.

"I thought that only happened in movies," Blaine sat back, evidently shocked. His eyes moved back to the board with the pictures. Kurt followed his gaze and let go of his hand to stand up and get one. He put it on the table in front of him.

"This is my dad, Burt," he said, as Blaine looked at the same man he had seen with the greasy coveralls with a very young Kurt, but here he was wearing a tuxedo and smiling and hugging a teenage Kurt. "I told him I was gay when I was sixteen years old and he told me he knew since I was four."

Blaine couldn't hide his surprise. "Really? He didn't…?"

Kurt didn't need for Blaine to finish that question. "He always accepted me for who I am, he knows this is not a choice. I think he wants me to find a nice guy more than I want to, actually," and with that Kurt laughed.

But Blaine remained serious. Because he couldn't understand how men like Burt existed in a world he had always thought it was homophobic by default or because of the fact Kurt had practically told him he wasn't seeing anyone, he didn't know.

Kurt sighed, sadly. "I'm sorry. Should I have not told you about him? I thought it might help…"

"No, it's fine, I just… I'm having a hard time understanding right now," Blaine mumbled, rubbing his thumbs over his temples, the exhaustion of the day catching up with him again.

"Don't try so hard, Blaine," Kurt said sweetly, grabbing his hand again when Blaine put it on the table, and tracing circles over his palm, soothingly. "Your job is to be yourself, and your dad's job is to love you no matter what."

Blaine gulped, nodding awkwardly. That concept was so foreign to him… and so impossible. He knew Walter Anderson would never fit into that mold. He would never accept Blaine and Blaine would never stop being a disappointment to him.

Kurt finally pulled his hand back and stood up, grabbing the empty plate and the two cups of coffee. He walked towards the kitchen, letting Blaine have a moment for himself.

Saying Blaine was confused wasn't even close to describing the way he felt. On one hand, his whole body was vibrating because of Kurt's proximity and gentle touch and on the other, his brain was trying to work to process the information he had just received.

He felt stupid. Of course there were accepting people out there. What about big cities like New York, where gay couples walked around holding hands without it being anything weird or out of place? He had been so absorbed with his own misery that he had assumed his parents' reactions were typical. But then there was Kurt, with a board full of pictures of people that loved him for everything he was and that easy smile that assured him there was a bright side he didn't know about.

Blaine felt the headache growing at the base of his brain. He sighed, tiredly, and stood up just as Kurt came back from the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked, a bit concerned. He was afraid he had said too much to Blaine, that instead of helping him he had ended up complicating things even more.

"Yes, I think I am," Blaine gave him a smile, a weak one, but a smile at least. "I'm just exhausted, so I think I'd better go home. And you must be, too, so I'm going to leave you alone so you can do the same."

"Oh, I live upstairs, so I'm already home," Kurt leaned against the counter, grinning comfortingly. "I hope I didn't… you know, make things worse for you."

"No, you're amazing," Blaine said without realizing what was coming out of his mouth until he saw the light blush on Kurt's cheeks and felt a blush of his own taking over his face. "I mean…" he gaped like a fish out of the water and finally decided to just tell the truth. "Well, yeah. You are."

Kurt giggled, looking down at the counter, avoiding Blaine's eyes. "Thank you."

"I'm the one who should say that," Blaine took a step forward to get closer to him. "Kurt, I… I can't remember the last time someone talked to me like that. I can't remember the last time I felt like… like I didn't have to hide from everyone."

"You don't have to hide with me, I understand, you know?" Kurt's eyes were now fixed on Blaine's. "We may have had different experiences, but I still know how you feel. And I hope you come back if you need to talk to someone…"

"Oh, I'm definitely coming back," Blaine grinned and then, more seriously, he added, "for real this time."

Kurt nodded and they just stared at each other for a moment, before Blaine pulled his wallet out of his pocket to pay.

"No, no," Kurt pushed his hand away when Blaine extended the money. "Today's on me."

"Kurt, I can't accept that…" Blaine said immediately. "Please, let me…"

"This is what friends are for," he said quietly, but firmly and Blaine felt his heart jumping inside of his chest. "You'll pay next time you come by."

"I…" Blaine didn't feel right leaving without paying.

"You won't convince me to take your money," Kurt sing-sang in a way Blaine found utterly adorable. "Now go home, relax and try not to think too hard, okay? I can already hear the gears inside your head turning."

Blaine laughed, a little more sincerely this time, and reached out for Kurt's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Kurt squeezed back.

Kurt walked him to the door. They exchanged awkward goodbyes and then Blaine stepped outside. The air had changed and it was obvious it was going to rain soon. Blaine crossed the street towards the parking lot and, before entering, he turned around back to the bakery. Kurt was still standing there, arms crossed over his chest and a sweet smile on his perfect face. Blaine waved and he waved back.

Blaine's apartment always seemed lonely to him when he arrived, but tonight, with the sound of the rain tapping against the windows and the touch of Kurt's hand still tingling on his skin, he felt it wasn't so bad.


	3. Chapter 3

Weekends didn't mean rest for Kurt. Those were the busiest days, though he knew (and his father was insisting, too) that he would have to choose a day to keep the store closed before his body exploded in exhaustion. That's why, regretfully, but knowing it was his best choice, he decided to keep the bakery closed on Sundays.

The first free Sunday, he woke up early, feeling tempted to go downstairs and open anyway. So, to keep himself away from temptation, he put on his best pair of exercise pants and a hoodie and decided to go for a run.

There was a park he really liked that he hadn't gone to in a while, but as it was at a considerable distance, he drove there. It was a sunny day, even though the weather was getting colder and colder. Soon, the town was going to be covered in snow and the first Christmas decorations would appear. Kurt started thinking about the Thanksgiving break, which was closer, as he parked the car and grabbed his iPod from the passenger's seat. He was looking forward to the holidays. He would stay with his family and enjoy a couple of days of nothing but relaxing with family and friends. He cherished the moments he spent helping Carole in the kitchen or sitting next to Burt and Finn on the couch as they screamed at the TV because of some football game he would never understand. Those were the things he missed the most about being independent, not having them around more often, not enjoying those little everyday things he used to have back in high school, when Burt and Carole had just gotten married.

He started running, loving the way his muscles stretched and worked together. He had been too busy to exercise lately, but he missed it. He loved the way it allowed his mind to empty of any unnecessary thoughts, how liberating it was.

The park was pretty much empty at that time of the morning. There was an old couple sitting on a wooden bench having a cup of tea and letting the steam from the cups warm their faces. There was another woman, a few years older than him, stretching next to a tree and random people passing by, but it was quiet and Kurt appreciated that. He rarely got any moments of calm in his life, especially since opening _Ellie's_.

He was wondering to himself what he would do with his free time, thinking maybe he could drive back to Lima and visit his dad, when he accidentally dropped his iPod and he had to stop running to pick it up. Frowning, he checked it wasn't broken, which fortunately it didn't seem to be.

The next thing he knew, a dog was trying to lick his face and, in his attempt to stay away from him, Kurt fell back on his butt.

"Robert!" A voice called, sharply, making the dog look up behind Kurt and wag his tail happily. "Bad boy! Don't do that! Are you okay? I'm so sorry…"

Kurt lift his head to see Blaine looking down at him with concern, and then with a bit of surprise, too. "You didn't say you had a dog."

"Kurt!" Blaine smiled as he reached for Robert's leash. The dog was a mutt, with shaggy hair in shades of black and light brown, big expressive eyes and funny ears that seemed way too big for his head. He kept wagging his tail, looking between Kurt and Blaine with interest. "Hi…"

"Hi," Kurt answered, wiping his face with his sleeve. He instantly regretted being sweaty and wearing such unfashionable clothes.

Blaine extended a hand to him. "Here, let me help you," he pulled him to his feet and then reluctantly let go of Kurt's hand. "I'm really sorry. My dog is a bit… enthusiastic, I guess."

"It's fine, don't worry," Kurt petted the dog's head, smiling. "What are you doing here?"

"Walking him," Blaine explained. Kurt then took a moment to actually look at Blaine and felt a rush of relief when he noticed Blaine was wearing clothes similar to his and that his hair, normally gelled down, was now curly, unruly, adorable. "What about you?"

"Running. Though I think I might have broken my iPod and exercising without music isn't all that much fun," Kurt sighed.

"I have to agree with you," Blaine said. They started walking together, Blaine gripping Robert's leash tightly so he wouldn't run off again. "That's why I have a treadmill at home, so if my iPod breaks, I still have the stereo or the TV."

"That's very clever of you," Kurt nudged him with his shoulder, but stopped immediately, wondering if he was being flirty and if it was wrong. "I wish I had space at home. My apartment is on the small side."

"You can borrow mine whenever you want," Blaine said easily, making him seem so much more relaxed than the other times Kurt had seen him. Maybe weekends were good for Blaine. Maybe he just needed to stay away from work. They stayed quiet in companionable silence for a few minutes, just walking around the park, until Blaine spoke again. "Kurt, I… I really want to thank you, for the other night…"

"Don't even mention it, really," Kurt grinned at him warmly. He decided to change the subject to show Blaine he didn't really need to thank him for it. "What do you do on your free days?"

Blaine shrugged. "I walk Robert, I read, sometimes I go out and grab a bite somewhere. I don't know, nothing special…"

Kurt wondered if Blaine had anyone he could rely on, anyone he could call a friend, anyone he really trusted enough to be himself with. He seriously doubted it. "Would you like to do something? I'm free, too," he said before he could change his mind, or before his courage disappeared.

"Yes!" Blaine answered, way too quickly. Both their cheeks flushed and they avoided each other's eyes. Blaine cleared his throat. "I mean, sure, if you don't have anything better to do…"

"No, of course not," Kurt assured him. "So… what would you like to do?"

"Coffee? There's a Starbucks a few blocks away," Blaine suggested, thoughtfully.

"That sounds perfect," Kurt almost moaned at the mention of caffeine. He hadn't had any yet and he was starting to need it. He looked down at himself. "I wish I had brought clothes to change into."

"You're fine, stop worrying," Blaine said brightly, and Kurt realized it was the first time he had heard him talking in such a light tone. "It's a lazy Sunday, no one is going to expect to see you wearing a suit or anything."

"I guess," Kurt tugged on the sleeves of his hoodie, unconsciously, anyway, and Blaine, impulsively, took his hand in his.

"I mean it, you look good just the way you are right now," and after a quick squeeze, he let go, leaving Kurt feeling strangely dizzy.

When they got to Starbucks, Blaine tied Robert's leash to a lamppost and patted his head affectionately. They walked into the store and got in line. It was pretty crowded for a Sunday morning and Kurt eyed the cookies and muffins critically.

"I know this isn't as good as what you bake, but at least you don't have to do it yourself," Blaine said. "And, by the way, I'm still dreaming about that red velvet cake you gave me the other day."

"I may make another one tonight, so if you want to come by the bakery tomorrow…" Kurt teased, and stopped as soon as he realized that he was _flirting again_. He wanted to slap himself in the face.

"Oh, I definitely will," Blaine smiled. "I have a trial tomorrow, so I may not be at the office all day, but I'm sure I can find a moment to visit you."

"I'll save a piece for you if you can't come by," Kurt answered as he stepped forward to the counter, where the cashier greeted him with a smile. "Hi! Can I get a grande non-fat mocha, please?"

"Sure, your name?" She asked, Sharpie ready in her hand to write on the paper cup.

"Kurt," he replied.

"That'd be three dollars and fifty cents," the cashier said.

"It's on me," Blaine muttered, moving next to Kurt and putting a hand on his arm to keep him from reaching for his wallet. "I'd like a medium drip, please."

"Name?"

"Blaine," he slid ten bucks towards her, who gave him the change and they moved to wait for their drinks.

"You didn't have to pay," Kurt protested.

"Of course I did, you were more than generous with me the other night, so it was only fair," Blaine smiled gently at him.

"I didn't do it so you would feel you owed me anything…" with a frown, Kurt stood waiting for his coffee, watching the barista mix the ingredients.

"I know. I don't care," Blaine replied.

It was weird, Kurt thought, seeing Blaine smiling so much. He seemed to be always so uncomfortable, so out of his element, so guarded… but now he pretty much felt he had known the other man all his life. It was nice seeing this side of Blaine. Kurt only wished it would come to the surface more often.

Kurt sighed. "Thanks, Blaine."

They picked up their drinks and went outside to get Robert, who was waiting for them anxiously and wagged his tail even more excited than before when he saw them.

"I didn't think you were the dog kind," Kurt admitted as Blaine untied the dog's leash and Robert started walking in front of them, restricted by the leash just enough.

"Neither did I," Blaine shrugged. "I found him in the streets. He was almost run over by a car and he seemed really scared. He wasn't a puppy anymore, he was probably six, seven months old, so if a pound would have taken him…" he did an unpleasant face, as if just thinking about it was bad enough. "So I took him home."

"That was really nice of you," Kurt watched as the dog sniffed the base of a tree.

"He's really grateful, like he knows what I did for him," Blaine brushed a few curls that had fallen on his forehead back. "And he's great company."

"I have a cat, her name is Brownie."

Blaine chuckled. "That's adorable."

"It's definitely better than Robert," Kurt laughed, nudging him with his elbow.

"Shut up, I have my reasons," Blaine said, and when he blushed a bit, Kurt felt the sudden desire to kiss him, which he shook off immediately.

"Do tell," Kurt sipped his coffee, which wasn't that easy to do when he couldn't stop grinning.

"I'm not telling you," Blaine pretended to be offended as they stopped at a corner and waited to cross the street. "You're mocking me and my dog."

They returned to the park and walked around under the trees, stopping every now and then so Robert could run, stretch his legs and chase pigeons. Blaine had asked Kurt about his family, so he was telling him all about Burt and his tire shop, which made Blaine smile when he remembered the picture of a very small Kurt with coveralls.

"What about your mom? Is she as awesome as your dad sounds?" Blaine asked as they both sat down at a wooden bench, watching Robert running around in circles to chase his own tail, evidently tired of the pigeons.

"My mom passed away when I was eight," Kurt spoke with a calm voice, but even after all those years, he still felt a pang of pain in his heart when he talked about it.

"Oh my… _Kurt_ , I'm so sorry," Blaine's hand found its way to Kurt's and gripped it tightly, as if he needed to show Kurt that he was right there.

Kurt discovered the pain wasn't as sharp as he felt Blaine's palm pressed against the back of his hand. He took a deep breath before turning his hand around and letting their fingers slot together. Blaine seemed surprised by it, but didn't pull away. He squeezed instead.

"Don't worry, you didn't know," Kurt smiled at him. "She was really young and it still makes me sad to think about it, but… she was happy, while she was with us, so I guess it could be much worse." He focused on the warmth spreading from Blaine's hand into his. "It was a car accident. I remember going to school one morning and she kissed me goodbye, and when I came back, she just wasn't there anymore. My dad was waiting for me and I could tell he had been crying and I couldn't understand why dad was home so early. Usually I would get home and my mom would help me with my homework and then we'd play. She loved to play with me and she didn't judge me when I wanted to play with things that other people considered girly."

Blaine swallowed as he stared at Kurt, who had his gaze down on their intertwined hands. His profile was pale and sad, but so stunning that he couldn't look away.

"She taught me how to bake and we would do it every Sunday. Every Sunday we would try something new from her recipe book," Kurt let a watery smile form on his lips. "Her name was Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth…" Blaine repeated, in barely a whisper. "So… you named your bakery after her? _Ellie's_?"

"Yes," Kurt simply nodded. "I miss her every day, but baking makes me feel closer, as if she was somewhere near me when I'm working in the kitchen. I know it's ridiculous, but…"

"It's not," Blaine interrupted, his voice low and intense. "It's not ridiculous, Kurt, it makes perfect sense."

Kurt wiped the tears that had fallen to his cheeks without him noticing as he chuckled nervously. "I… I don't really talk about her."

"Maybe you should," Blaine said softly, and his thumb started unconsciously stroking Kurt's. "Talking about her will help you keep the memories fresh. If you keep everything to yourself, you'll eventually forget."

"My dad and I sometimes talk about her, but… I can tell it's too painful for him," Kurt shook his head. "He got married again when I was a junior in high school. I love my step-mom and my step-brother, and he does, too, but something will always be missing."

"I like to hear about her, so if you ever need to talk…" Blaine let the words hang in the air, hoping Kurt would understand.

"I'd like that, thank you," Kurt said, with another squeeze of his hand, and with that, they both realized they had been holding hands for a few minutes now and how strangely _natural_ it had felt… Blaine pulled away, unconsciously glancing around as if he was waiting for a hoard of homophobes to come beat them up.

Robert chose that moment to return, sitting in front of Blaine and putting a paw on his knee.

"Hey buddy," Blaine said, scratching behind his ears.

Kurt felt sort of vulnerable after talking about his mom and he was scared Blaine was going to go back home now and leave him alone. He didn't want to be alone now, and that was a bit weird, because he had always dealt better with his feelings when he had no one around. But right now, he needed Blaine, and he felt stupid for it, but he couldn't help it.

"I should take him home, he's probably hungry," Blaine said then, and Kurt felt himself deflate like an old balloon.

"Oh, right," he muttered softly.

"Would you like to, uhm, come with me? We could go have lunch later," Blaine proposed, awkwardly. He nudged Kurt with his shoulder, trying to look playful. "I'll let you use my treadmill."

Kurt actually laughed at that and then looked at Blaine gratefully. "Sure, I'd love to."

Blaine's building was just a couple of streets down, so they walked there, both immersed in a comfortable silence. It was a really nice building, the tallest one in that street and it emanated a sense of elegance and status. It was located in the best part of Columbus and Kurt looked up at it quite impressed. Blaine, however, guided him inside without showing any sort of emotion.

"Good morning, Mr. Anderson," a man opened the door for them with a polite smile on his face.

"Good morning, Victor," Blaine answered and he was about to head to the row of elevators when he stopped. "Do you need my friend to sign so he can come in?"

Kurt, who was admiring the shiny floors and the impeccable decoration, turned to Blaine, curiously.

"I think he'll be fine since he's coming in with you, Mr. Anderson," the man nodded at Kurt by way of greeting and Kurt smiled, shyly.

"Fine. We shouldn't take long anyway, I'm just taking my dog back to my apartment," Blaine pushed the button for the elevator, which opened immediately. It was big with polished walls and the typically annoying music sounded from the speakers over their heads. "Sorry about that," Blaine said when the doors closed behind them and the elevator started going up. "There's a strict policy about visitors in this building. Most of my neighbors are quite selective about what kind of people come and go."

"Sounds like you have really fun neighbors," Kurt muttered, nudging him with his shoulder and managing to elicit a little smile on Blaine's lips.

"I really don't know any of them," Blaine answered as he watched the numbers changed above the doors.

"How long have you lived here?" Kurt asked.

"About three years," Blaine patted Robert's head, who kept wagging his tail and looking adoringly at Kurt with his huge expressive eyes. "When I finished college I moved back here to work at my father's firm."

"Where did you go to college?" Kurt suddenly realized he knew next to nothing about Blaine. Yes, he was a lawyer. Yes, he was gay. Yes, his relationship with his father was complicated. But, what else was there? Who was Blaine Anderson?

"Harvard," Blaine replied as the doors opened, with the same nonchalance as if he had just said community college. He stepped out of the elevator.

"Harvard? Whoa, Blaine, that's really impressive," Kurt smiled, but when Blaine didn't return the gesture, he felt awkward.

"Thank you," he guided Kurt to the only door on the floor, and opened up with his key. Kurt immediately found himself inside of a huge apartment that looked a lot like an expensive hotel room, with minimalist decoration and lots of white and light beige shades in the furniture. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll feed Robert and then we can go."

"Okay," as Blaine went in what Kurt assumed was the direction of the kitchen, he moved towards the window. Blaine probably lived on the highest floor and the view was really nice. He could see the park where they had just been and the people wandering around the streets, starting their Sunday routines. He noticed a white piano in a corner and wondered if it was there for decorating purposes only or if Blaine could play. On a book case near to it there were several books, only a few of them related to law. The rest were fictional books, most of them classic authors like Oscar Wilde or Charles Dickens. Kurt picked up _The Ballad of Reading Gaol_ randomly, and he observed how worn the book looked. It was obvious Blaine had read it lots of times.

After a few more glances around, it became evident to Kurt that there weren't any pictures of Blaine's family or any of his friends or even of himself in different moments of his life. When looking at the room with more attention, Kurt realized that, except for a couple of books that looked as if they had been read more than once, the apartment resembled a hotel room: impersonal, too clean, everything right where it belong. It was as if no one lived there permanently.

He put the book back in its place and followed the quiet sounds of Robert and Blaine to the kitchen. When he got there, he stood at the doorway, mouth hanging open.

"Oh, whoa, this is one hell of a kitchen," Kurt muttered before he could stop himself.

It was huge. It looked way too big even for him. Who could use all those marble countertops and all those shiny appliances? Once again, everything looked pretty much untouched.

"I don't really know how to cook," Blaine shrugged, leaning against one of the countertops and waiting for Robert's bowl to fill with water. "I can fix a few things, but I don't really use any of this."

"That's a shame," Kurt ran his fingers over the counter. "I could do wonders with a kitchen like this."

"I don't doubt that," Blaine gave him a tiny, genuine smile as he put Robert's water on the floor next to the dog, who started drinking eagerly. "Would you like something to eat or drink or…?"

"No, no, I'm fine, thanks," Kurt walked to where Blaine was standing and leaned next to him on the counter. He thought he felt Blaine tensing slightly by the proximity, but he immediately relaxed, both of them looking down at the dog as he finished eating. "But you have to let me come cook something here one day. It's a pity that a kitchen like this isn't being taking advantage of."

"Well, I'm not going to be stupid enough to deny you access to it if it means I get to try more of your delicious food," Blaine turned his head to grin directly at him and they were suddenly close, closer than they have ever been, their faces inches apart, their shoulders brushing, the heat of their bodies flowing through the layers of clothing and the air in the kitchen.

Blaine found himself briefly looking down at Kurt's lips, just a flick of hazel eyes and then back up and away, away from Kurt's face, because it was too much and kissing Kurt Hummel right then and there wasn't a good idea. It was the worst idea. Just as letting himself get close to Kurt was a bad idea.

He cleared his throat and used Robert as an excuse to get away from Kurt, leaning down to pick up the dog's empty bowls and put them in the dishwasher. Robert wagged his tail and left the kitchen, his paws clicking against the floor.

"So, what would you like to do?" Kurt asked, feigning ignorance. The way the mood had shifted between them in a matter of seconds was almost tangible, but he decided against commenting about it.

Blaine took a few seconds to breathe in and out, pretending to be busy with the dishwasher before turning around to face Kurt again. "Whatever you want, really, I don't care."

Kurt considered for a moment telling him that it was okay if Blaine wanted to be alone, if he wanted Kurt to go, but then something was pulling at him, something he didn't recognize, something that told him to stay with Blaine for a little while longer. "Well, I would really like to change my clothes, so… we could go to my place? I can make us some lunch."

After a little pause, Blaine smiled weakly at him. Something about Kurt made him want to break out of the shell he had built around himself all those years ago. He knew it wasn't safe, he knew it was stupid, but it was too strong, too intense to ignore it. "Once again, you use your cooking skills to convince me. I'm in."

Blaine wanted to take a shower and change his clothes, too, so Kurt stayed in the living room, playing with Robert, who kept bringing him an old tennis ball for him to throw. Kurt took the chance to glance around Blaine's apartment a bit more, and the more he was there, especially on his own, the more oppressive it felt. There was nothing home-y about that place and he thought back to Blaine's eagerness to stay at the bakery a few days ago. He could understand why now. It probably wasn't very nice to come home to this solitude, to this space that was nothing but furniture and walls and things that seemed to have nothing to do with Blaine. Kurt himself lived alone, but when he was in his tiny apartment, he was surrounded by his life and his memories and all the things he loved. The sensation of being in a hotel room more than being at someone's home hit him again. It felt very weird.

"I'm ready," Blaine came back into the living room, carrying with him a wonderful scent of shampoo and soap that made Kurt inhale sharply. He had put jeans on and a black sweater with turtle neck that made him look fantastic. Kurt silently approved of his outfit choices.

They agreed on going in separate cars so Blaine could return to his apartment later without having to ask Kurt for a ride. So he drove Kurt to the park first so he could get his own vehicle, and then followed him to the already familiar bakery.

Blaine forced himself not to glance at his office window. He kept his back to the building in front of the store as Kurt parked his car and looked for his keys in his pocket. Instead of going to the glass doors of the bakery, which was now dark and deserted, he went to the door right next to the store and opened it to reveal nothing but stairs. They climbed them and Blaine suddenly found himself in the cutest, tiniest apartment he had ever seen. He looked around with the same curiosity Kurt had shown back in his place, but the difference was that just coming into the messy, small living room slash kitchen slash dining room felt like coming home. One step inside, one second there and Blaine felt more at home that he had ever felt in his own apartment in three years.

"Kurt… this is absolutely beautiful," Blaine muttered, eyes wide, as a little smile tugged on his lips. There were pictures everywhere, and books, and piles of fashion magazines, and a small table in the corner with a sewing machine on it with something that looked a lot like a half done kilt.

"Thanks," Kurt smiled warmly. "I know it's not much, but I love it."

Brownie came purring from Kurt's bedroom, stretching and instantly going for Blaine's ankles, rubbing her face against them to claim his attention.

"Oh, hey, you must be Brownie," Blaine leaned down to pick her up, and the cat seemed obviously happy in his arms.

"She's a cuddle whore, so don't let her get too comfortable," Kurt laughed.

Just like Kurt hadn't been able to find any signs of Blaine's life in his apartment, Blaine felt like he could read every single minute of Kurt's in his. Everything was there in plain sight and Blaine almost felt like he was intruding.

Still, he was hungry for more. He discovered he wanted to know as much as he could about Kurt.

"I didn't know you could sew," he commented.

"I considered going to Fashion school for a while when I was in high school," Kurt shrugged. "I've always loved clothes."

Kurt observed Blaine as he slowly moved around the living room, taking everything in.

"I'll go take a shower now," he announced, moving towards his bedroom to grab some clean clothes. "You can look around and if you are thirsty or hungry, help yourself."

"Thanks," Blaine mumbled distractedly, as he studied Kurt's books.

Kurt took a moment to appreciate how good Blaine looked amongst his things, as if Blaine was the perfect piece to complete the puzzle that his life was.

Then he realized how ridiculous he sounded and left Blaine alone as he showered.

Blaine sat on the couch at first, scratching behind Brownie's ears as she purred contentedly, but then his curiosity took over, so he stood up again and started studying the pictures Kurt had scattered around the room. They were similar to the ones he had downstairs at the bakery. The same people appeared in them, mostly his dad. The same woman he had assumed was his mom was there, too, always with a young Kurt or pregnant. Blaine was surprised at how much they looked alike. But what he loved the most about those pictures was the look of absolute love Elizabeth Hummel had in each one. She had loved her son and Blaine didn't need to be a genius to see it. It was right there in those old photographs, clear as the light of day.

And God, Kurt was beautiful. Every single picture of him seemed to radiate warmth and love and happiness and Blaine had never in his life met someone like him. Kurt was generous and selfless and sweet. His eyes were gorgeous and his hair was perfect and every time Blaine was close, too close to him, he just wanted to reach out and wrap him in his arms, to know what it would feel like to touch that perfect skin, discover how bright would be the sparks their lips would create when they found each other in a kiss…

Blaine sighed, frustrated with himself. He couldn't fall in love with Kurt. He couldn't.

He placed the picture he had been looking at (one in which Kurt couldn't be more than seventeen years old and was clearly in some choir competition, since he was on a stage with a group of teenagers, all wearing the same clothes and looking completely ecstatic) back on the shelf where it originally was, when the bathroom door opened up and Kurt came back to the living room. Blaine turned around to look at him and immediately wanted to glance away, to keep his eyes from falling into such a vision. Kurt's pale face was flushed from the shower, his cheeks pink and adorable. His hair was a bit damp, but elegantly styled. He was wearing black jeans that were too skinny to be comfortable and a loose blue sweater, that left a bit of his collarbone in sight. Blaine felt his mouth watering and had to use all of his self-control to keep himself from kissing him.

It would be too easy to ruin _this_ , whatever it was. And he was too afraid of ruining it, because it was the best thing that had happened to Blaine in his entire life.

"Hey," he said, a little out of breath, a little awkward.

Kurt smiled softly at him and, unfortunately for Blaine's wild heart beating too fast in his chest, he walked towards him. "What are you doing?"

"I was… uhm, I was just looking at your pictures," Blaine swallowed, trying not to concentrate too hard on how wonderful Kurt smelled, like flowers and clean and maybe coconut. "You have a lot of pictures."

"Yeah, I do," Kurt sighed, grinning lightly as he picked up the picture Blaine had just been holding. It was his mom, when she was pregnant with him, sitting under the shade of a tree during a picnic Burt and she had shared. She looked unbelievably happy. "This is my mom, Elizabeth. This was taken exactly one month before I was born, according to my dad."

"She was so beautiful, Kurt," Blaine said slowly, his eyes glued to the smiling woman again. "There's so much of her in you."

Kurt blushed, and so did Blaine, when they realized he had just told Kurt he was beautiful. "Thank you. My Dad says I remind him of her, too. I have her eyes."

"I can see that," Blaine could feel Kurt's gaze on him, but he stubbornly kept his on the picture.

There was a small pause. And then Kurt, whispered. "Wait here."

Kurt was gone before Blaine had the chance to ask him where he was going. He saw him go downstairs, the sound of his shoes against the wooden steps the only thing breaking the silence. The scent of coconut (and vanilla, too, Blaine noticed now that he allowed himself to inhale deeper) was left behind, as a sweet reminder of Kurt's presence.

But he was back not even a minute later, and he had a big book in his arms. He was cradling it as if it was a baby, tight against his chest. Blaine was still in the same spot where he had left him and Kurt smiled sweetly, extending a hand to him, like an invitation.

Blaine was taking it before his brain could tell him it was a bad idea, and his heart started beating even faster when Kurt's soft skin touched his. Kurt guided him back to the couch and they both sat together, Kurt scooting closer, maybe because Brownie was spread all over one end, maybe because he wanted to show Blaine something in the book, maybe because he wanted to be nearer.

Once they were seated, Blaine silently begging for Kurt not to hear his crazy heartbeat, Kurt put the book on his lap for him to a look at. It was an old recipe book.

"It belonged to my mom," Kurt explained, his finger caressing the cover gently. "We would always choose a recipe from this book on Sundays and try it. This is one of the few things I have from her. When she died, my dad was so sad he sold a lot of her stuff because it caused him too much pain to have it in the house. Most of her clothes, her magazines, everything. But he let me keep this. He knew how much it meant to me."

Blaine put a comforting hand on Kurt's back before realizing what he was doing, but once it was there, he didn't want to remove it.

"He always apologized to me for getting rid of everything, but I understand. I know it was too much for him, I remember how broken he was," a little tear started its way down Kurt's cheek. "And I have this. It's all I need."

Blaine wiped the tear away with his thumb, and perhaps his finger lingered a bit longer than necessary on Kurt's cheek, but at least when he moved back, Kurt was looking at him with a smile and he wasn't crying.

"Anyway," Kurt cleared his throat and tried to put the sadness away, "I just thought I would like to share it with you. Would you like to choose something? I could make it for you."

"Oh, no, I couldn't," Blaine said instantly, shaking his head. "This is your free day, Kurt, I wouldn't want you to…"

"Blaine, come on, don't be ridiculous. Haven't we talked enough that you know how much I enjoy cooking?"

Blaine rolled his eyes and accepted the book that Kurt was trying to thrust into his hands. "Okay," he started flipping through the pages and he was very aware of Kurt's eyes glued on him again. Those blue eyes shouldn't burn his skin like this… "This sounds good."

"What a fantastic idea, don't you think, Brownie?" Kurt said as he stood up, scratching his cat's belly. "White chocolate brownies. One of my specialties."

"I think everything is your specialty at this point," Blaine leaned back against the couch and watched Kurt as he started roaming around the kitchen gathering everything he needed for the brownies.

"Of course it is," he answered, sending a little wink at Blaine, who blushed a bit, but managed to chuckle at the same time.

Kurt started working and it wasn't too long after that when he coerced Blaine to help him, even though Blaine told him that things could turn into a disaster very quickly. He asked Blaine to chop some almonds to put in the brownies and then, they both made a couple of salads for lunch. They sat together on the couch to eat, as the brownies were in the oven, and turned the TV on. There was a marathon of _Friends_ episodes on, so they instantly agreed to watch it.

Salads were long gone, _Friends_ long finished, the afternoon had slowly moved over them, and Blaine and Kurt were still sitting there together, occasionally talking, sometimes both completely silent, but always comfortable. Kurt talked a lot about his family, because Blaine asked him to. He was curious about them. About his mom, and his step-mom and his brother. About his dad, so caring and gentle and understanding. Kurt seemed hesitant at first, scared to say something that would make Blaine feel sad or awkward, but Blaine was eager to learn more and more. Later, they decided to watch a movie, and Blaine let Kurt pick because he didn't care anymore, because the proximity of the other man beside him on the same couch, in the same room, in the same world was enough for him. So Kurt chose _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ and told him it was one of his favorite movies. Kurt served the brownies and Blaine made coffee and they watched it together. Every once in a while one of them would unconsciously move closer. Kurt made the final move until his head was resting on Blaine's shoulder and Blaine had thought it was intentional until he realized Kurt had fallen asleep.

Overwhelmed by how nice it felt to have someone cuddling him, someone looking for his warmth and breathing against his neck, Blaine wrapped an arm around him and let Kurt get comfortable pressed into his side. They fit so perfectly that Blaine felt like crying.

He stayed there, holding Kurt, even after the movie ended and the credits started rolling. He couldn't reach the remote so the DVD eventually returned to the menu and the music started playing over and over again. Kurt woke up about an hour later, and still sleepily, nuzzled against his neck. Blaine closed his eyes, loving the sensations Kurt elicited in him, but wanting to shut them off at the same time. Kurt was so beautiful and so dangerous and he had known that since the first time he had seen him.

"Oh, God, Blaine, I'm so sorry!" Kurt exclaimed embarrassed when he realized what he had been doing.

"Don't worry, you just fell asleep," Blaine forced himself to smile at him.

"Yes, but I was pretty much assaulting your neck," Kurt laughed nervously, stood up, stretched, his arms up his head. When he straightened up, his sweater moved a little and one of his shoulders ended up exposed. Blaine gulped at the sight of the beautiful skin and his lips ached to kiss him there, desperate to know if that could make Kurt shiver, if that would cause any interesting reactions on him.

Blaine shook his head. He needed to control himself. He couldn't let his mind wander like this… oh, Kurt was talking.

"… really late. You might as well stay for dinner," Kurt moved to the window and looked at the street outside and the darkening sky.

"Oh, it's fine, really. You already fed me enough," Blaine tried to sound nonchalant, but Kurt's shoulder was still exposed.

"Oh, hush. I don't mind at all," Kurt started opening cupboards and checking the contents. "How do you feel about some fettuccini Alfredo?"

And Blaine ended up staying for dinner because he couldn't get enough of Kurt. Because one more second by his side was like a gift from heaven and rejecting it would have meant he was a very, very stupid man. Kurt cooked and hummed happily and Blaine insisted on setting the table, which was really tiny and they could barely both fit. They didn't have any wine with dinner, but Blaine felt drunk anyway. Kurt was intoxicating and looking into those stunning eyes for too long _had_ to be bad for his health.

Their feet kept brushing against each other under the table, whether it was intentionally or not, Blaine couldn't tell, but he felt a rush of adrenaline with every touch. The food was delicious, of course, and he had to almost stab himself with the knife he had been using to cut his fettuccini to stop himself from reaching out and wiping a bit of sauce in the corner of Kurt's mouth at one point. Although watching him cleaning it up with the tip of his tongue was torture, too.

When it was time to go, Kurt walked him to his car and waved goodbye as he drove away. Blaine gripped the steering wheel harder than he should have, but his whole body was vibrating with the emotions he had had to hold back all day.

He was in love with Kurt. And what was there not to love? Kurt was everything anyone could ever dream of and even more. But when Blaine closed the door behind him, enveloped by the darkness of his apartment, he let himself slide down to the floor and hugged his knees. His loneliness was his safety and he couldn't let Kurt in. But again, how could Kurt ever love someone like him? Blaine was imperfection, mistakes, doubts and weakness.

Yes, his loneliness was his safety, but it had also always been his tragedy.


	4. Chapter 4

Blaine tried to stay away. He really, _really_ did. He managed to go through all of Monday without more than a few glances at the bakery. He sat in his office, feeling absolutely miserable, trying his hardest to focus on the pile of papers in front of him, but his hazel eyes kept moving towards the window, hoping to see a glimpse of Kurt, but knowing he wouldn't. Knowing that, if he wanted to see him, he had to go find him. And he couldn't.

But when he arrived at the office again on Tuesday and was greeted by his father being annoyed at him for no particular reason other than Blaine's existence; when Walter spent good part of the morning discussing the latest law Ohio had come up with to avoid gay people getting married and throwing discreet, yet pointedly disgusted looks at him; when once again his dad told him all the work he had done for one of the cases was wrong, even though Blaine knew for a fact there was _not_ a single mistake in it… he knew he couldn't hold back anymore. He needed Kurt. And the intensity with which he needed him was pretty scary.

So as soon as he could escape, he crossed the street to the bakery and pushed the door open, feeling comfort just by stepping inside and smelling the delicious scents of the food Kurt made. Kurt was behind the counter, there was a line of customers waiting and just as soon as Blaine saw Kurt's smile, he felt the tension of the day melting away from his body. He stepped to the end of the line to wait.

After a couple of minutes, Kurt moved from behind the counter to get a cake that was in one of the displayers and saw Blaine. His smile became brighter than it already was and, when he was making his way back with the cake to put it in a box for his customer, he grabbed his hand to pull him.

"What are you doing there, silly?" He asked softly.

"Uhm, waiting like the rest of the customers?" Blaine asked, wondering how it was possible that just a little hand holding could numb half of his brain cells.

"You still think you're just one of my customers?" Kurt replied playfully and he would've noticed how Blaine gaped at his words if it weren't because he was already busy looking for a box of the right size to put the cake in.

Blaine leaned against the counter and watched Kurt as he worked. Something warm flowed inside of him, knowing he was more special to Kurt than all the other people standing in the store waiting for their coffees or baked goods made him feel good after being treated like nothing but garbage by his father.

"Everything alright?" Kurt asked after saying goodbye to a customer, turning briefly to look at him as he poured a cup of coffee for the next one. "You're awfully quiet."

"Just thinking," Blaine did his best to smile. It wasn't that hard, considering just being next to Kurt gave him more happiness than anything else in his life. "And you're busy."

Kurt poured a second cup before moving back to the counter to finish with the customer. He handed it to Blaine. "Here, at least have some coffee while you wait."

"Thanks," Blaine took it and tried to ignore the way his whole body shivered when their fingers brushed unintentionally.

It took Kurt another ten minutes until he was completely free and, with a tired sigh, he turned back to look at Blaine. "Hey."

Blaine grinned at him. "Hey."

"Are you hungry? Do you want me to make you something to eat?" Kurt asked immediately.

Blaine had to laugh at that. "You know, Kurt, I don't actually come over only for your food."

Kurt's eyes sparkled and his voice was softer than ever when he spoke again. "Then why do you come over?"

Realizing what he had just said, Blaine gulped and looked away. He tossed his empty paper cup in the bin behind the counter. Kurt seemed to notice his awkwardness.

"Well, I'm still giving you something to eat," he said, as he moved to the kitchen. "What would you like?"

"Oh, please don't worry about me," Blaine said instantly, leaning in the doorway to look at him. He had never seen the kitchen. It was a considerably big space for such a small store with two ovens that took up most of the space.

"Blaine…" Kurt turned to look at him with a quirked eyebrow, a silent warning in his gaze.

"Fine, fine," Blaine rolled his eyes. "Whatever you have will be okay."

Mumbling to himself, Kurt opened the big fridge he had on the opposite side of the kitchen and grabbed a plastic bag. He extracted something that looked like dough from it and put it on the counter, dusting some flour on it so it wouldn't get sticky. He started kneading it quickly, just enough to make it malleable and then began to give it a long shape to it.

"What's that?" Blaine asked, curiously.

"French bread," Kurt answered, quickly putting the bread on a baking tray and slipping it into the oven. "I went to the market early this morning and they had fresh arugula, which is delicious with feta cheese and olive-based mayonnaise. It's one of my favorite sandwiches."

Blaine's stomach growled. "That sounds delicious."

"Good. Now get out of my kitchen, I don't like to be stared at when I'm cooking," Kurt shooed him and Blaine chuckled as he backed away.

There were two stools behind the counter and he took one and moved it to the front. He sat there, next to the register, listening to Kurt hum and letting himself believe for at least five seconds that everything in his world was alright.

He needed Kurt. He needed him desperately. Even though he knew the wisest thing to do would be to say goodbye to him and move on with his life, he couldn't, because he just wasn't strong enough to put out the only light he had in his otherwise dark existence.

It was going to hurt. It was going to hurt like crazy having Kurt in his life, being his friend, being close to him without being able to _be more_. But Blaine was so tired of being alone, so tired of having no one who cared about him, so tired of not having anyone to talk with at the end of a bad day. He was tired of having to be someone he wasn't in front of everyone else he knew because his true self wasn't good enough. But with Kurt, he didn't have to lie, he didn't have to pretend. And he could see, deep in those beautiful blue eyes, that Kurt _cared_. For some improbable reason, Kurt cared about him.

When a plate was placed in front of him, he was torn from his trance and looked up to find Kurt watching him with concern.

"Are you sure everything's fine?" He asked him.

Yes, not kissing Kurt, not ruining this friendship, not losing him was going to be one hell of a challenge. And yes, Blaine's heart would eventually get broken. But it felt so good right now, to have someone look him in the eyes and ask him if he was okay and really want to hear his answer.

"I'm sure," he answered with a small smile.

For the next hour, Blaine forgot about everything and let Kurt shine a light on his life.

* * *

Since that Tuesday, Blaine went to the bakery every day. If he had time he would cross the street and have lunch there with Kurt and if he had a trial or was stuck in a meeting, he would appear just as Kurt was closing, and they would share a cup of coffee as Blaine devoured one (sometimes two) piece of pie and they would talk about their day. Kurt was the one doing the talking, mostly, as Blaine was still very reserved. He would share very few details about his day, maybe he would mention if he had a new case, but nothing else. Kurt knew it probably had a lot to do with the fact that his father didn't make it easy for him to work there. And he knew, very deep inside him he knew, that he was Blaine's escape. Those few hours they spent together every day, or the few minutes they could steal away from their routines when they were busy, were incredibly important to Blaine. Kurt could feel the other man relaxing across the table from him as the scent of the coffee he cupped between his hands offered a certain comfort. He could see the protective shields Blaine kept raised during the day coming down slowly, opening up a bit, cracking a smile at Kurt's incessant chatter. Kurt's favorite moments were when he actually managed to make Blaine laugh. He had a precious laugh and he wished he could hear it more often.

That's why some days later, when it was time to close the store, he flipped the sign on the door, but kept it unlocked. He left the lights on and turned the coffee machine on so he would have coffee ready by the time Blaine got out of the office. He hadn't come for lunch that day so Kurt was getting ready for an exhausted man walking through the door. He had a chicken pie warming up in the oven because he knew that if Blaine didn't show up for lunch, he likely didn't eat anything at all, so he would be starving.

But when the minutes ticked away on the clock and there was no sign of Blaine, Kurt frowned. He went to the window and looked up at the building in front of the store. Most of the offices didn't have a light on, and if he wasn't mistaken, Blaine's didn't either.

He picked up his cellphone from where it was resting on the counter and searched through his contacts until he found Blaine's name. He opened a new message.

_To: Blaine._

_Hey, you! Are you going to be here anytime soon? I have your lunch slash dinner in the oven :)_

He pressed send and waited for Blaine's response. The first sign that something was wrong was that it took the other man almost ten minutes to answer, when he usually typed a response back to him in less than two. The second, when the message finally arrived, was the sloppy way it was written, so uncharacteristic of Blaine.

_From: Blaine._

_sorry kurt i cant make it today_

Kurt's frown got even deeper, worry settling in inside of him as he typed a second text.

_To: Blaine._

_Are you okay?_

_From: Blaine._

_yef_

_That's it, I'm calling him_ , Kurt thought. What the hell was wrong with him? Something had happened. Kurt could _feel_ it. Maybe Blaine's day had been even worse than expected. Maybe he had trouble at work or with his dad. Maybe he had gotten really bad news…

The phone rang for a couple of seconds until he heard the distinctive click that meant someone had picked it up on the other side.

"Kurt?" Blaine's voice was scratchy.

"Blaine, what's wrong?" Kurt asked softly.

"Nodding," Blaine sniffed. Kurt felt even more confused until he realized Blaine had meant _nothing_. "I'm sick."

"Oh, Blaine," Kurt whispered, half relieved, half still concerned. "What is it? A cold? A fever? A stomach bug?"

"Probably a bit of everything," Blaine moved away from the phone and started coughing. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"Is someone there with you? Are you taking any meds?" Kurt asked, moving behind the counter and turning the coffee machine off.

"Kurt, it's okay," Blaine answered, without really answering and it wasn't hard for Kurt to realize he was avoiding his question because Kurt wouldn't like what he had to say. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting. I should have texted you earlier…"

"I understand," Kurt muttered. "Try to sleep, Blaine. You'll feel better in the morning."

"Uh-huh," Blaine mumbled, already sleepily. "See ya, Kurt."

He immediately hung up and, sighing, Kurt turned around and walked into the kitchen. He turned the oven off and started looking for a sauce pan in the cupboard. If there was one thing that Kurt hated, it was being alone when he was sick. He could imagine how miserable Blaine felt and Kurt knew he wouldn't stop worrying until he saw the other man with his own eyes and made sure he was all right.

He worked quickly and efficiently and in a few minutes he had a delectable chicken noodle soup ready, which he put in a thermos to keep it warm. He hurried up around the store, turning off the lights and, after grabbing the keys from behind the counter, he locked the door and away he went.

He made a stop at the pharmacy to pick up a few meds. He wasn't sure what Blaine had exactly, so he bought some of everything just in case. He drove to Blaine's place and parked the car near the entrance.

"Good evening," the doorman said when he opened it up for him.

Kurt hoped he wouldn't have trouble getting inside. "Good evening. I'm here to see Mr. Anderson. I was here with him the other day? I don't know if you remember."

"I do, sir. It's not difficult to recall, since you're the first visitor Mr. Anderson ever has since he moved in," he gestured towards the elevator indicating Kurt could go up and, after thanking him, he walked towards it and pushed the button.

As he went up to Blaine's apartment, Kurt thought of what the doorman had just said. Blaine had never had visitors in three years he had lived there. He was alone when he was sick. He had a bad relationship with his father… who did Blaine have? Did he have anyone at all?

Luckily, Blaine's apartment's door wasn't locked, so he could just slip inside, hoping Blaine wouldn't mind. Robert immediately came to see who it was, wary at first, but when he saw it was Kurt, he started wagging his tail, happily. Kurt patted him on the head and then he looked around the apartment. The living room wasn't as tidy as it had been the other time he had been there. A few books and a pile of papers were scattered over the coffee table and it was obvious Blaine had been lying on the couch for a while because there was a blanket abandoned there and a cup with an inch of cold tea still in it.

He had an idea where Blaine's room was, so he walked down the hall. The first door was closed, so he kept going, until he reached the door at the end, which was slightly opened. He peeked inside to find a messy bed with a glimpse of dark curls sticking out in every direction from under the covers.

He knocked softly. "Blaine?"

There was a shifting movement under the sheets and then Blaine's face was coming out of them, blinking confusedly. "Kurt?"

"Hey," Kurt smiled and walked to him. "I'm sorry I let myself in, I didn't want you to get out of bed."

"What are you doing here?" His voice sounded hoarse and there were huge dark circles under his eyes.

"I came over to take care of you, of course," Kurt said as if that was the most obvious thing ever.

"You don't have to…"

"Ssh," Kurt interrupted, looking pointedly at him. "You don't get to argue with me when you look this miserable." He sat down on the edge on the bed and put his hand on Blaine's forehead, brushing the curls back. "You're really hot."

"So are you," Blaine muttered dropping down against the pillows again.

Kurt stared at him with his eyes wide open. Okay, then. Blaine was a lot more disinhibited when he had a fever.

"Thank you, I guess," he picked up the box he had carried with him and started searching through its contents until he found what he was looking for. "Open your mouth."

Blaine obliged, clearly too tired to fight it and Kurt slipped the thermometer between his lips.

"Stay very still, okay? I just want to make sure your fever is not too high," without being able to help himself, Kurt brushed back the curls again. Blaine was really cute without his hair all gelled down. "I brought you some soup, so you can have some after you take your medicines. Wait here, I'll go to the kitchen to get you some water, okay?"

Blaine's temperature was very high, but not enough to require a ride to the hospital, so Kurt gave him the meds he had bought for him, which Blaine swallowed with difficulty since his throat was sore, too. As Blaine tried to relax under his blankets again, Kurt started picking up the mess of tissues all around the bed and throwing them into the bin.

"Would you like some soup now? Or maybe later?" He asked gently.

"Could you…" Blaine's words were interrupted by a cough. "Could you just stay here with me, please?" He said with a quiet voice, his eyes closed and a hesitant hand extending as if he was trying to reach Kurt.

Kurt's heart swelled. "Of course." He sat down on the bed next to him and held Blaine's hand, using his free one to keep playing with his hair. He would definitely try to convince him to stop wearing all that gel.

"Thank you," Blaine whispered then and it was almost impossible to hear him, as he shifted a bit closer to Kurt. His fingers tightened a little around Kurt's. "Thank you so much."

"You don't have to thank me," Kurt replied just as quietly.

"Yes, I do," Blaine's voice seemed to come from far away and for a moment, Kurt wondered if Blaine was even conscious that he was talking. "You didn't have to come all the way here."

"No one should be alone when they're not feeling well," Kurt shrugged a bit, indicating it wasn't a big deal.

"My parents hate me," Blaine said then, and the hand Kurt had been moving over Blaine's hair froze.

He swallowed, without knowing what to say. "Blaine…"

"I'm a disappointment. My dad always tells me that if he could turn back time, he wouldn't have me." Blaine's eyes were closed and Kurt wondered if he should stop him, if he should stop listening, because this was obviously one of the things Blaine had been keeping inside and that he wasn't ready to talk about yet. "Aren't parents supposed to love their kids, Kurt? Doesn't your dad love you no matter what?"

"Blaine, sweetheart, we don't have to talk about this now…" he said as soothingly as he could, his heart breaking at the evident pain in Blaine's words.

"I did everything I could, Kurt," now there were tears running down Blaine's cheeks and, without being able to help himself, Kurt slid down a bit on the bed so he could hold Blaine against his chest. "Everything. My dad always wanted me to go to law school, so I went to the best law school in the country. He wanted me to work with him… but what for? He hates having me around. Why does he like to humiliate me all the time? Does he like to make me feel like nothing but crap in front of his coworkers?"

"You're wonderful, Blaine, so wonderful," Kurt whispered in his ear, and when he heard the other man sobbing against his shirt, Kurt wanted to kill Walter Anderson with his bare hands. "If he can't see it, then he's blind."

"I hate my life," Blaine said then and Kurt's arms tightened around him, pulling him closer, protectively, feeling the tears forming in his own eyes now. "I hate it so much."

"Oh, Blaine," he kissed the top of his head and slowly rocked him back and forth, not knowing what to do to comfort him.

"You're the only good thing in my life, Kurt," Blaine muttered, even lower, his voice resembling that of a child. "The only one."

Kurt felt the tears running down his cheeks. Blaine was shivering in his arms, probably because of the fever, but he was unbelievably warm against him. He wanted to say so many things to him, he wanted to whisper in his ear how beautiful he thought he was, how much he liked him, how hard it was for him sometimes to not lean over and kiss his lips. Kurt wanted to say that he had never met anyone like him before and that if his parents were too stupid to realize how amazing he was, then he wasn't. He could see it. He could see all the good things Blaine was. He was kind, generous, sweet and caring. He was beautiful in every way…

But he didn't say it. Because Blaine had a high fever and he probably wouldn't remember it in the morning. But he was going to tell him all of that, he really was going to, when he was sure Blaine could understand him, when there was nothing between them, no veil between his words and Blaine's head and heart.

Robert chose that moment to pad his way into the room, wagging his tail, with a tennis ball in his mouth. Kurt smiled at the dog and wiped his tears away.

"I'm not going anywhere, Blaine," he muttered. "And neither will Robert. Look, he came to see how you're doing."

Blaine sniffed and reached his hand weakly to pat his dog on the head. "Hey buddy," he managed to say. There was a pause, then a cough and then Blaine kept talking, as if he just couldn't keep anything else inside. "My mom was so upset when I decided to adopt Robert. She says he's a disgusting dog."

What the hell was the problem with Blaine's parents and their attempts to ruin absolutely everything in their son's life? "He's adorable. Don't listen to them."

"She wanted me to at least get a dog with pedigree," Blaine huffed. His voice changed, as if he was trying to imitate someone else's voice. " _Why would you pick him from the streets, Blaine? He must be full of diseases. Do you want to get sick? You have plenty of money if you want to get a dog. Take that horrible thing to a pound and go get a decent one._ "

Robert tilted his head to the side and let go of the tennis ball, which fell on the bed.

"Nothing I do is good enough for them. If I had bought a dog… oh my God, I can hear their reactions. _A dog? That's what you spend our money on? What are you, a child?_ " The voice he imitated this time was different and Kurt thought it was quite similar to his father's. " _You bought a Rottweiler? You want people to think you're straight and tough? You bought a poodle? You like people to know what an embarrassing, disgusting fag you are?_ "

"Blaine, please, stop," Kurt was crying again. Were his parents really like that? He couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Blaine to grow up with them, to come out to parents like them, how hard his life must have been… was. It still was hard.

Blaine yawned. "You teased me because I named him Robert. But I have a very good reason."

"I know, you told me you weren't telling what it is," Kurt smiled a bit, despite his tears, his lips pressed against Blaine's curls.

"One of my favorite books is _The Bridges of Madison County_ ," Blaine mumbled, his face buried in Kurt's chest. "I wanted to be like Robert Kincaid, because he was free and he did what he loved…"

"It didn't have a very happy ending, though," Kurt commented, glad that they weren't talking about his parents anymore.

"It doesn't matter, because they were happy together. But that's not why I named my dog after him," Blaine sighed, almost contentedly, but then he had a coughing fit. Kurt moved to get a tissue for him. "Thanks."

"Why did you name your dog after Robert Kincaid, then?" Kurt wanted to know, petting his curls carefully.

"He was photographer. He loved his job, he went to a lot of really amazing places and saw a lot of amazing things that he was able to share with other people because he took pictures of everything he found," Blaine continued, unconsciously nuzzling into Kurt's chest.

Kurt frowned and for the first time since he had arrived, his eyes took in the room he was in. The walls were painted in the same white as the rest of the house. There were two doors, one probably was the bathroom and the other, the closet. The room was almost bigger than Kurt's apartment, but it lacked personality, a touch that would show that this was someone's room and not just a place to sleep. He suddenly noticed the old cameras on top of the dresser. There were five of them there and two more on a shelf by one of the doors, where Blaine had a lot of books. He then remembered he had seen at least a couple more cameras in the living room the last time he had been there, but he had thought they were there for decorative purposes. Now things made a bit more sense.

"You wanted to be a photographer?" Kurt asked softly and Blaine nodded without moving his head from his chest. "And why didn't you?"

"For the same reason I don't do anything that makes me happy," Blaine fisted Kurt's shirt in his hand. In any other moment and with any other person, Kurt would have yelled and shied away from the hands trying to ruin his outfit. Today, he didn't care. "Because it makes them hate me even more."

With that, Blaine fell asleep, exhaling loudly and holding onto Kurt as if he was a lifeline. And maybe he was. Kurt swallowed the bitterness he felt after what Blaine had told him. He couldn't imagine being in Blaine's shoes. He suddenly felt an urge to call Burt and tell him he loved him, but he stayed there, holding Blaine, caressing his curls and tracing soothing circles on his back, trying to comfort him as much as he could.

Blaine was even lonelier than Kurt had thought he was. He was even lonelier than Kurt had ever been.

Kurt leaned down and kissed his head again. He had never felt so protective of anyone in his life before, but right now, as he lay in bed next to the guy he had been falling in love with since the first time he had seen him, he knew that he wanted to hurt anyone who tried to hurt Blaine. The way his parents had fucked up his life was so incredibly horrible. Kurt couldn't believe someone would do that to their own son. He couldn't believe they wouldn't see the damage they were causing. Or see them and do nothing to fix them.

But he was going to. He didn't care how he would, or how long it would take him to do it, but he was going to fix every wound the Andersons had left in Blaine. Even the ones he still hadn't heard about, because he was sure there were more…

Kurt rested his cheek on Blaine's curls and sighed. It wasn't too long before he fell asleep, too, Blaine's body pressed against his, and the promise to make him happy making his heart beat against Blaine's ear, loud and strong.


	5. Chapter 5

Blaine's eyelids felt heavy, but he forced himself to open his eyes anyway. A quick glance at the clock on his bedside table told him it was three in the morning. There was a light coming from the hallway and noises from other parts of the apartment. Something was clearly wrong.

He still felt bad, a bit weak, and his head was fuzzy. This wasn't a good moment to deal with whatever was in the apartment (a thief? Robert tearing the couches apart because he hadn't taken him for a walk for an entire day?), but he knew he had to do something. So, with what little strength he had in his body, he stood up. The sweatpants he had been sleeping in clung low on his hips and his t-shirt was worn and wrinkled. He was sure his hair was horribly messy and sticking out in every direction. He felt sweaty and he wished he could just get in the shower and maybe sleep there under the water for a few hours. But instead, he walked out of his bedroom, following the sounds until they took him to the kitchen.

For a moment, he felt alarmed, until he recognized the man standing in his kitchen, his back turned to him, muttering under his breath as he searched through the cabinets. He was confused until a vague memory reminded him that Kurt had come the night before with medicines. For some reason, he was sure he had fallen asleep holding onto him.

Maybe it had been a dream.

A very good dream.

"Kurt?" He asked, quietly and, oh, his throat was really scratchy. Kurt jumped in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, God, Blaine, you scared the hell out of me," Kurt muttered, a hand on his chest, his breathing a bit too fast. "Don't do that again."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Blaine entered the kitchen, walking towards him slowly.

"How are you feeling?" Kurt instantly put his hand on Blaine's forehead and this time Blaine was conscious enough to feel a rush of adrenaline at the touch, his cheeks coloring up. "You're not so warm now. I think the fever is almost gone."

"I feel less like the walking dead," Blaine answered and had to hold back a whimper of disappointment when Kurt removed his hand. "What are you doing?"

Kurt looked around the kitchen, his eyes widening. "Oh my God, you don't think I'm stealing or anything, do you? Because I'm not, I swear. I was just looking for something to put the soup I brought you in, because I sort of only had one thermos and if I need it, I…"

"Kurt, relax, it's okay, I know you're not stealing," Blaine would've laughed if it wasn't because his head still hurt. "I meant, why are you in the kitchen in the middle of the night? If you wanted to sleep, you could've woken me up and I could've arranged my study. I have a sofa bed there, you could…"

"Oh, no, don't worry. I actually, uhm, I actually fell asleep with you for a little while, I just woke up a few minutes ago," Kurt blushed and looked at the wall behind Blaine as he said that. "But I need to go soon because I didn't get any baking done last night before coming here and the store will be empty when I open up in the morning if I don't leave now."

Blaine leaned against the counter, his legs a little shaky, his body still weak. "Oh, Kurt, you shouldn't have come here. I'm so sorry, I was…"

But Kurt interrupted him and shocked him at the same time when he moved closer to him and put a finger over his lips, effectively silencing him. "Blaine, don't. I wanted to come, I wanted to make sure you were fine. I don't care about anything else, okay? I didn't want you to be alone when you didn't feel good. You still don't feel good, and I want to help you. What can I do?"

Blaine had to resist the impulse to kiss Kurt's finger. Kurt, luckily, removed it before Blaine did anything crazy. "You've done more than enough. Thank you."

"Why are you up? Are you hungry? Do you want some soup now? Do you need to take more of your medicines?" Kurt looked seriously concerned and Blaine shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, not used to having someone showing concern for him.

"I heard a noise and wanted to see what it was," Blaine explained. He looked tired and he felt tired and he wondered why he had left his bed, where he was warm and cozy. "I think I'll have a bit of soup, though. I haven't eaten anything in forever. But you don't have to stay. Really, go home, rest a bit, Kurt. I'll eat, go to bed and get up in a few hours to go to work and…"

"Work?" Kurt's eyebrows shot up. "Blaine, you can't go to work, you're sick."

"I didn't go yesterday. I can't miss another day," he sighed, exhausted, massaging his temples, wishing the headache would just go away.

"Of course you can and you totally should. You have _options_ , Blaine," Kurt said sweetly, giving him a reassuring squeeze on one arm.

Blaine blinked a few times, confused. "Okay, what the hell did I say last night?"

"Nothing. We're not talking about that right now," Kurt pushed him towards the table and forced him to sit down. "You're going to eat your soup and go back to bed. And don't you dare go to the office in the morning, Blaine Anderson."

Blaine groaned in frustration. He barely remember what had happened before he fell asleep next to Kurt, but he did remember being embarrassingly clingy. That couldn't be good.

As Blaine wallowed in self-pity, Kurt kept looking for something to warm up the soup until he finally found a sauce pan in one of the cabinets, with a little cry of victory. Ten minutes later, he was putting a steaming bowl of soup in front of Blaine that smelled so delicious that Blaine almost let his face fall into it.

"Don't you want to eat anything?" Blaine offered, hating that he had been such a bad host. "You must be starving."

"I'm fine, Blaine, the soup is for you to get better," Kurt smiled at him reassuringly.

"Please, Kurt, eat something," he nodded towards the refrigerator. "Make yourself at home. I'm sure you can find something in there that you like. Eat whatever you want."

Kurt finally accepted and made some coffee for himself and a couple of bagels with creamed cheese. Blaine devoured the soup and then was pushed back to his bedroom before he could wash the dishes. He settled back into bed, wondering why he was feeling so exhausted considering he had only walked to the kitchen to eat before walking back to bed. Kurt entered the bedroom a few minutes later, his coat and scarf on.

"I'm gonna go now," he announced, coming closer. "But I want you to call me if you need anything. At any time. I'll be up working, anyway, so don't be silly and call me." He gave Blaine a pointed look until the other man nodded his agreement. "Good. Now, you have all the meds I brought for you in your bedside table and there's still a bit more soup in the kitchen. Do you want me to take Robert home with me? I can walk him before I open the bakery, and even if I don't have time, I can take him out the back door for a few minutes so he can do what he needs to do. I'll bring him back here when I close the store."

"No, don't worry about Robert, Kurt," Blaine said, without being able to keep his eyes open for much longer. "I'll take care of him later. It'll be good for me to go out for a little while and have some fresh air."

Kurt didn't look convinced, but seemed pleased enough when Blaine didn't mention going to work. "Okay, fine. I'm still coming back after I close, so I'll call you to see if you need anything." He leaned down to place a kiss to Blaine's forehead. "Take care. And call me. I mean it."

"I will," Blaine mumbled against the pillows, a little smile tugging at the corners of his mouth because Kurt's lips had felt so nice against his skin. "Thank you so much…"

"No need to thank me," Kurt brushed his words off as he started walking out of the bedroom. "See you later!"

"See you later," Blaine said with another sigh. He heard Kurt leaving the apartment, the front door clicking shut. "I love you…" he added to the empty room, before he fell asleep again.

* * *

Kurt dropped down on the couch, letting his head fall against the back, sighing and closing his eyes. He was _tired_.

"Kurt… why don't you go home and sleep?" Blaine asked, with a sad smile, knowing he was the reason for Kurt's exhaustion. "I don't need you to babysit me. I'm fine. I'm better."

"You don't look all that much better," Kurt tilted his head to the side, frowning. He reached to touch Blaine's forehead, causing a shiver to run down the other man's spine. "But I think your fever is gone."

"I just have a bit of a cough and a sore throat. The rest is much better," Blaine nodded and he instantly missed Kurt's hand when he pulled away.

But there was something in Blaine's eyes that told Kurt that something was wrong, that he was lying, that he was far from being better.

"Blaine," he said softly, scooting a little closer. "What's going on?"

The way Blaine avoided looking at him spoke volumes. "Nothing."

"Hey, no. Don't put all those shields you keep around yourself up again," Kurt put a finger on his chin to force him to look at him. Blaine blushed a bit. "Talk to me."

"I think I've already talked enough," he said quietly. "Last night. And, God, Kurt, I don't remember everything I said, but I'm so, so sorry."

"Why would you be sorry?" Kurt replied, sweetly. "It's nice to see you sharing a bit of what you feel. I could tell you had everything bottled up. It's not good for you, you know."

"It's embarrassing, I just…" Blaine shook his head and closed his eyes, evidently upset with himself. "I just should learn to keep my mouth shut."

"No offense, sweetheart…" Kurt muttered and Blaine startled at the endearment, opening his eyes and looking as if he had never been called something like that in his whole life, "but you keep your mouth _too_ shut. I like talking to you, I like to hear what you have to say. I want to help you, Blaine, but I can't do it if you don't let me."

"It's not your…" Blaine started saying, visibly uncomfortable, but the sound of his phone interrupted him. He sighed and reached for it. "Hello." There was a small pause. "Hi, Mom."

Kurt got up and gestured towards the kitchen, letting him know he was going to give him some privacy. Blaine just nodded with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Kurt decided to distract himself by making some tea, but as he waited for the water to boil, he couldn't help overhearing the half conversation going on in the living room. Blaine didn't sound happy but, again, when did he?

"I've been sick and in bed for the past two days, Mom," he was saying, a bit exasperated. " _No_ , I've really been sick. Why would you think I'd fake it? I'm not! I'm not a child trying to skip school…" A second silence. Kurt leaned against the counter, waiting. "Mom, I know he's upset, but I've been working at home all day and I'll have those documents ready by the time I promised him I would."

Kurt clicked his tongue in disapproval. He thought about his own mother or about Carole and the way they would've treated him if he was the one sick, like Blaine had been the past two days. He couldn't understand Mrs. Anderson. Why had she had kids if she didn't want them? Or was her problem that Blaine wasn't the child she had been expecting? Kurt knew he would never get what was going on in that woman's head. Or her husband's for that matter.

The kettle whistled as Kurt took two mugs out of the cupboard and poured the water, after putting a tea bag into each cup.

"Yes, I know," Blaine was saying, still sounding stressed. It was the last thing he needed when he was still recovering from a high fever. Kurt fought the impulse to go into the living room, take the phone away from him and end the call. He sighed. Oh, how wonderful that would be. But he couldn't. It wasn't his place to do it and he didn't want to upset Blaine any more than his parents already had.

Kurt searched for a tray in the cabinets while the tea steeped. Once he found it, he put both mugs on it and sugar, too.

"I'll go in to the office tomorrow. I'm already better, I just have a bit of a…" Blaine paused, obviously because his mother had interrupted him to ask something. "Yes, tell him I'll bring the documents. They're ready. Yes."

Kurt walked back into the living room with the tray. He had to use all of his self-control not to stomp on Blaine's phone.

"I know it's this week. Yes, I always go, don't I?" Blaine did his best not to look at Kurt. Whatever his mother was saying was making him uncomfortable. "And I always go alone. No! No, you know I don't talk about it. Why would I?"

Kurt sat down on the couch and grabbed one of the mugs to give to Blaine who smiled at him gratefully, though he still looked deeply unhappy. He could hear the constant murmur of Mrs. Anderson's voice and even though he had no idea what she was talking about, Kurt could feel the pressure in her words.

Blaine gripped his mug a bit too forcefully. "Mom. I promise I won't say a word about my sexuality. I never do and I never will. I don't know why you sound so concerned about it. You know I keep it… uh, yeah, yeah, sure." Blaine sounded so defeated and hurt that Kurt almost shifted closer and enveloped him in his arms. "I'll see you on… yeah, right, goodbye."

Silence extended between them barely broken by the soft sound of Kurt sipping his tea carefully. Blaine put his cup down and put his face in his hands.

"Kurt, I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to listen to any of that…" he finally said, mortified.

Kurt also put his cup down and moved closer, taking Blaine's hands in his. "Hey, it's okay. Don't apologize, at all."

Blaine watched the way their fingers intertwined, fitting perfectly together, and he felt the wave of warmth and caring extending from Kurt. "Her phone calls are always pointless."

"It sure sounded like it," Kurt said with half a bitter smirk. "You have a family thing this week?"

"Yeah, for Thanksgiving," Blaine nodded heavily.

"Oh! Right," Kurt rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. "I don't know where my head has been lately. Of course, it's Thanksgiving."

Blaine sighed and leaned back against the couch. "I hate Thanksgiving. And Christmas. And birthdays. And any other joyous occasion for which I have to go to my parents' house."

Despite how sad he sounded, Kurt was almost happy to hear Blaine talking. He was opening up again and this time without a high fever. He was doing it because he _wanted to_.

"Then don't go," Kurt shrugged as if what he had just said was the most obvious thing in the universe.

Blaine snorted.

"I mean it, Blaine. You're a grown man. You can choose what to do during the holidays," Kurt insisted.

"Believe me, I wish I could," Blaine closed his eyes. "It's funny because they hate to have me there with them, but at the same time, I know that if I didn't go, they would be furious."

Kurt squeezed his hand, an idea lighting up in his head. "Well, there's no point in gracing them with your presence when they don't appreciate it. There's plenty of people who would."

Blaine snorted again and Kurt almost smacked him in the head, frustrated. "Yeah, sure. Like who?"

"Me," Kurt answered simply, causing Blaine to look up at him with surprised eyes. "This is what we're going to do. On Wednesday night I'm gonna come over, you're gonna be waiting for me with a little overnight bag and Robert and you, Brownie and me are gonna go on a little road trip."

Blaine looked at him as if he was crazy. "What?"

"We're going away for the weekend. You'll be back by Sunday night, I promise," Kurt said and he could feel the enthusiasm growing. This was definitely a good plan. "People should enjoy the holidays. That's what they're for."

"Kurt…" Blaine sounded wary and Kurt could understand why. He felt he was obliged to suffer through crappy family traditions because it was what was expected from him. But Kurt couldn't let him go to a place where he was clearly miserable, where he had to hide who he was and pretend he was okay with the life he had when it was evident he wasn't.

"Blaine," Kurt moved a bit closer, his blue eyes fixed in his. "Please, come with me."

Blaine sighed. His parents were going to give him a lot of crap for this, but he couldn't say no to Kurt. Not when he looked so adorable, so beautiful. Not when he was so close, with his hands still in his. "Where are we going?"

The squeak of pure happiness that came out of Kurt made it all worth it, even if all hell would break loose on him.

* * *

On Wednesday night, Blaine arrived to his apartment after work, jumped in the shower and changed his clothes, anxious for Kurt to arrive. His overnight bag was on the couch, next to Robert's leash, pretty much since the night before. He was excited.

And sort of terrified, too.

He hadn't really told his parents he wasn't going to be at their place for Thanksgiving. He hadn't gathered enough courage to tell his father that day while they were working. Maybe calling his mother would be better. They were going to be upset either way, but when his father was upset and they were face to face, it was utterly unpleasant.

He forced the thought of his parents away from his mind. This weekend wasn't about that. Kurt had said it was a surprise and that he wouldn't tell him where they were going until they got there. He trusted Kurt like he had never trusted anyone before, which was almost ridiculous, because they had known each other for just a couple of months and Blaine didn't trust anyone easily.

Maybe love came with trust. Maybe it was part of the deal.

Blaine sat down on the couch, allowing himself a few minutes to relax after a particularly hard day at the office. He wasn't going to feel guilty for this. He wasn't going to let his parents ruin what he could have with Kurt for an entire weekend, whatever it was. He was going to forget about everything and be happy for once in his life, without caring about how his actions reflected on his parents.

It was hard, but he was willing to try.

A knock on the door interrupted his train of thought and he looked up with a big smile on his face. Robert was already at the door, wagging his tail in excitement, so it could only be Kurt. He had never seen his dog react that way to any other person's presence.

"Coming!" He exclaimed, as he hurried to open up. He paused for a second to make sure his clothes looked good. He was wearing a black polo shirt and jeans. His hair was neatly gelled as usual. Taking a deep breath to steady his pounding heart, he pulled the door open and found Kurt standing there, with a matching smile. "Hi!"

"Hey!" He said, rocking back and forth on his feet. "Sorry if I'm a little late, I had to stay at the store longer than I thought."

"It's fine," Blaine moved aside to let him in, as Robert kept bouncing around them in excitement. As Kurt walked into the apartment, Blaine allowed himself to really look at him. He was impeccable as usual, with his tight jeans and a red knee-length peacoat that hugged his curves perfectly. "So… you're still not telling me where we are going?"

Kurt turned to look at him, biting his bottom lip playfully. "Nope."

"That's unfair. How do I know you're not kidnapping me and planning to take me to the middle of nowhere to kill me or something?" Blaine asked, also playfully, as he went back into the living room. Kurt had leaned down to pet Robert, who looked ecstatic.

"Well, if you really want to come with me, you'll have to take the risk," he answered. Then he stood up again and clapped his hands together. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I am," Blaine put the leash on Robert and grabbed his overnight bag.

Blaine closed the apartment and then the three of them got into the elevator and went down to the lobby, where Blaine informed the doorman that he'd be gone for the weekend. Kurt's car was parked outside. They put Blaine's bag in the trunk and then Kurt opened the backseat door so Robert could climb up. Brownie was in her cat carrier bag and looked at the dog with narrowed eyes, but with one warning from Blaine, the dog simply curled up on the seat and stayed there. Brownie visibly relaxed.

Kurt started driving as he told Blaine about a few things that had happened in the bakery that day. Blaine listened as if Kurt was telling him the world's most interesting story. Kurt's intention was to help Blaine feel at ease and comfortable, so he told him to scan through the music he had on his iPod to see if he could find something he liked. Blaine spent quite a time distracted with that.

Once the music for the road trip was selected (Blaine had chosen one of the many Broadway playlists Kurt had), they kept chatting, mostly commenting on things they could see along the road. In the backseat, Robert shifted closer to Brownie and started whining, trying to nuzzle the sleeping cat with his nose.

They were enveloped in a pleasant silence as the last vestige of the sun sunk down on the horizon, when Kurt started singing softly to the song playing on his iPod. It was _Without_ _You_ from the Rent soundtrack. He started really softly, barely a murmur filling the car, and he didn't seem to realize he was singing. His voice grew a bit with the music and he tapped his fingers against the steering wheel in rhythm.

Blaine was immediately enraptured, staring at him with wide eyes. Kurt's voice was beautiful, almost magical. It was as soothing as his smile and Blaine felt a wave of warmth and pure happiness flowing through his veins as he listened to him. He had no idea how after all the darkness and all the bitterness in his life, he was now within touching distance of something – _someone_ – who was nothing but a ray of light and sweetness.

He was so in love with him…

During a pause in the song, Kurt turned his glance towards Blaine only to find him pretty much gaping back at him. Kurt blushed intensely.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't realize I was…"

"You're perfect," Blaine said before he could stop himself.

Kurt blushed even more. Blaine closed his eyes and swallowed. _Why don't you just go ahead and tell him you love him, you moron?_

"Thank you," Kurt answered in a very quiet voice.

"I didn't know you could sing like that," Blaine continued, because, apparently, he wasn't capable of shutting his mouth. "You're very talented, Kurt."

"Thanks," he said again, shrugging. "I was in my school's Glee club. For a little while I thought of being a Broadway star and then I realized I wanted something less… complicated. Something I could control."

"I'm starting to wonder if there's anything you can't do," Blaine replied, causing Kurt to giggle.

"Did I mention I can fix cars?"

"Shut up, now you're just messing with me!" Blaine laughed. Had his heart ever felt so light?

"I'm not! I really can fix cars. Remember I told you my dad has a garage?"

"Well, what else can you do?" Blaine shifted a bit in his seat so he was sitting almost facing Kurt, his back tilted towards the door.

"Mm," Kurt seemed thoughtful. "I can dance, a bit. I'm pretty good with the sewing machine. I have a natural gift for shopping," he glanced at Blaine, with a mischievous grin.

"I'm not sure that's a skill, but… okay," Blaine conceded. "What else?"

"Shopping is serious business, Blaine," Kurt muttered severely, but Blaine could see he was only joking. "And… I don't know what else. I think that's it. What about you?"

Blaine was silent for what it seemed a long minute. He didn't look at Kurt and something tangible changed in the atmosphere between them

"Nothing, I guess," he said, softly, nonchalantly, shrugging as if it wasn't important.

Kurt gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter. "I'm sure you're good at something. We all are."

Blaine kept avoiding his eyes. He wanted to open up to Kurt. He wanted to be different with him than he was with other people in his life. He wanted to be himself, to stop hiding, to have someone like him for who he was instead of… well, to just have someone like him. Because he wasn't sure he actually knew anyone who did.

Kurt sighed, almost inaudibly, probably giving up, knowing Blaine wouldn't say anything.

"Photography," he said then and Kurt snapped his head to look at him. "I… I think I told you about that, the other night. I can take quite decent pictures."

Kurt's smile was absolutely breathtaking. "I'd love to see some, if you'd like to share them with me."

 _I'd share everything with you_. "Yeah, sure…"

"What else?" Kurt encouraged him, shifting in his seat to be more comfortable.

"I… I can sing, a bit, too," Blaine admitted. He hadn't talked about any of this in years. "I wanted to join my school's Glee club when I was at Dalton, but I never did."

The reasons were unspoken, because they didn't need to be said out loud. It was just one more thing that Blaine's parents had kept from him. One more way to keep him away from any sort of happiness.

"Can you play the piano?" Kurt tried. "I noticed you have one in your apartment."

"Yeah, I play," Blaine nodded. "My mother sent me to piano lessons when I was a kid, but when I started showing too much interest when I grew up a bit, my dad decided it wasn't good for me, so…"

Kurt sighed. If he could only change time, change the way things had been for Blaine… but he couldn't he could only make a change for him right now, right then. And he was going to, somehow.

Before either of them could say anything else to continue their conversation, Robert started whining in the backseat. He seemed unsettled.

"I think he needs a bathroom break," Blaine informed, reaching back to pet his head.

They were practically in the middle of nowhere. There were fields on both sides of the road and the houses were widely spaced. Kurt pulled over and they both got out of the car, Blaine opening the door so Robert could climb down. Brownie was still asleep, so Kurt left her in the backseat.

Kurt stretched his legs, following the dog a few steps. They hadn't been in the car for that long, but it was nice to be in such an open space. The sky was beautiful as he looked up. Millions of stars were shining above him. It was a moonless night. Kurt took a deep breath, feeling the air filling his lungs. Everything was silent except for Robert's paws rustling in the grass.

He turned back to the car and saw Blaine had opened the trunk and was rummaging through the contents of his bag. He seemed to find what he was looking for because he zipped it shut again and closed the trunk. Kurt had just looked down because Robert was nuzzling his hand when he heard a clicking noise. When he lifted his head again, he found Blaine had a camera in his hands and was pointing at him with it.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, covering his face, but feeling a thrill inside of him at seeing Blaine taking pictures. "Don't do that! You have to let people know before you start taking photographs of them!"

"I like it better when it's natural," Blaine answered and when Kurt peeked in between his fingers, he took another picture.

"Blaine! Stop it!" He laughed, covering himself up again as he walked to the car, Robert following behind him.

Blaine pointed the camera somewhere else and took a couple of pictures of the fields surrounding them under the stars and one of Robert when he sat down at his feet. Kurt looked at him from where he was leaning against the driver's door, feeling the smile tugging at his lips.

This was progress.

* * *

Blaine kept snapping pictures once they were back on the road, mostly, of Kurt. Kurt protested, but, deep down inside, he was happy seeing Blaine with a camera, so he eventually let him do what he wanted. They were about to reach their destination anyway, so there was no point in complaining.

The fields disappeared and they entered a small town. Blaine looked through the window with interest, knowing it wasn't worth it to ask Kurt where they were and if this was the place they were supposed to go to, so he didn't say anything. He just hoped they were close to arriving to wherever Kurt was taking him because he was seriously starving. He saw a diner a few streets away and was about to ask Kurt to stop there so he could buy dinner for both of them, but Kurt took a turn around a corner before he could open his mouth.

They were now driving through a quiet neighborhood. Blaine was starting to get confused. Where could they possibly be going? Then Kurt started slowing down and finally parked the car in a driveway. Blaine looked up at the house. It was a nice, two story home that looked really cozy from the outside. The lights were on in three of the windows at the front. Next to Kurt's car, there was an old pick-up truck.

"Where are we?" Blaine asked, incapable of holding back the curiosity anymore. "Whose house is this?"

Kurt was about to answer but the front door opened in that moment and a woman came out of the house. It was a little dark to see what she looked like. Blaine frowned, even more confused, until a man appeared in the doorway and everything clicked into place.

"Is that… is that your dad?" Blaine muttered, choking a bit. What were they doing there?

Kurt had thought this was an amazing idea until this very moment. Seeing Blaine's expression, he hesitated. "Yes, he is… Blaine, is this okay?" He questioned, nervously. "I just… I wanted you to have a real Thanksgiving, to be somewhere where you could be relaxed and not worry about what people think of you… I… did I screw this up? Because if I did, I can take you back to Columbus right now. You don't even need to get out of the car, I swear…"

Blaine instinctively reached out and grabbed the hand Kurt had rested between their seats. He squeezed. "It's fine, really. It was very nice of you. I just…" he swallowed, very aware of the couple watching them from the house. "I just don't want to be in the way of your family time."

"You won't," Kurt's smile was gorgeous and full of confidence. "They're going to love you Blaine. I wouldn't be surprised if Carole wanted to keep you here forever by the end of the weekend."

Blaine gulped as he saw Kurt unbuckling his seatbelt and he did the same. He didn't really know how this would go, but Kurt seemed so happy to be there and, for some weird reason that Blaine couldn't understand, he wanted Blaine there with him.

Opening the door, Kurt got out of the car and that seemed to be the sign Carole and Burt Hummel were waiting for, because both of them walked towards them to greet them.

"Hey guys!" Kurt said with another smile, immediately being enveloped by his father's arms in a fierce hug. "How are you?"

Awkwardly, Blaine got out of the car, too, but took his time opening the backseat door and getting Brownie's carrier bag and Robert out, so he could give Kurt some time to hug his parents. They looked so genuinely happy to see him and Blaine felt like he was already intruding.

"Come here, boy," he said to Robert quietly. The dog obliged, jumping out of the car, but staying next to him, closely eying the strangers as if he were evaluating them.

Kurt turned around and Blaine was suddenly breathless. The expression on Kurt's face, the huge smile on his lips, the way his eyes were shinning… how could he be so beautiful?

"Carole, Dad, this is Blaine," he extended a hand inviting Blaine to get closer and he was very tempted to grab it in his. "Blaine, this is Carole and this is my dad, Burt."

"Hi, it's very nice to meet you both," Blaine said, politely and when he was about to shake Carole's hand, she pulled him into a hug.

"Welcome, Blaine, dear," she exclaimed. "It's so nice to have you with us."

"We've heard a lot about you," Burt added as Carole finally let go. The man patted Blaine's back in a gesture that was more fatherly than any of the ones he could remember from his own dad.

"Only good things, I promise," Kurt intervened, nudging Blaine with his shoulder. "Let's get inside, it's cold."

Blaine cleared his throat, still a bit in awe of the situation. He extended the bag where Brownie was still sleeping and ignoring the rest of the world to Kurt, who thanked him, the smile still glued to his face. They opened the trunk and got their overnight bags, too. Blaine insisted in carrying both, needing something to do with his hands.

Burt was scratching Robert's ears, who seemed very pleased with the attention. They all went into the house and Blaine was instantly overwhelmed by how cozy and warm it was. The sense of _home_ was immediate. It was so different from his parents' huge, cold house, where everything was put there so it would look good, instead of feel good.

"You have a beautiful house, Mrs. Hummel," he said as Kurt closed the door behind them.

"Thank you, Blaine," she smiled sweetly. "And it's Carole. Don't make me feel old, please."

"You can take Finn's old room, Blaine," Burt announced, as he watched Kurt let Brownie out of her carrier bag. "You'll be much more comfortable than in the guest room. We never really finished that room."

"And that haunts me every day, Dad," Kurt said, sighing. Blaine turned to look at him, needing to focus on him every few seconds, as if Kurt was his anchor to reality. "Come on, Blaine, I'll show you where it is."

"Don't take too long, boys," Carole told them, before they even took a step towards the stairs. "Dinner will be ready in five minutes."

"Sure, Carole," Kurt nodded and then Blaine and he started climbing up to the second floor.

There were family pictures everywhere, hanging on the walls, framed on top of shelves and tables. Blaine wanted to stop and look at each one, but Kurt didn't seem to notice his interest, because he kept walking. He told himself he would have plenty of time to take a look. He was going to be there all weekend.

"Luckily for you, this is much cleaner than it used to be when Finn lived here," Kurt said as he pushed a door on the left open. "There was a point when I honestly thought we would never be able to get rid of the smell of sweaty socks."

Blaine chuckled as he followed him inside. It was a typical teenage boy's room, but a lot less messy. There were posters of bands and football teams on the walls, a few old high school textbooks on a shelf, a desk under the window, a board right next to it with notes and pictures pinned to it.

"Finn isn't coming for the weekend?" He asked, as he put his bag on the bed.

"No, he lives a few streets down," Kurt answered. "He stayed here with our parents for another year after I left, saved some money, and then bought a little house so he could start being independent. But, of course, he didn't want to be too far away. He wouldn't be able to survive without Carole's cooking."

Blaine gently touched the edge of the wooden desk. "This is great."

Kurt tilted his head to the side. There was nothing special about the room to cause that look on Blaine's face. "Really?"

"Yeah. I imagine it was even better when your brother lived here and it was a bit messy," Blaine glanced around, trying to picture it. Then, he crinkled his nose. "Well, without the smell of the socks, at least."

Kurt giggled as he walked towards the bed, where he sat down. He looked up at Blaine. "What was your room like when you were growing up?"

Blaine was silent for a few seconds, as if he was trying to recall the memories. "Not like this. I didn't spend too much time at home when I was a teenager, I was boarding at Dalton almost all year. At Dalton, we had weekly inspections to make sure our rooms were clean and tidied up, so I never had anything out of place. And at my parents' house… well, my mom had it decorated for me. Once I tried to hang a poster and she almost had a heart attack and yelled at me because she said I ruined the wallpaper."

Kurt couldn't believe how much Blaine was opening up in just a few hours. Bringing him to Lima with him had been a great idea. "Well, you can leave your clothes on the floor and let Robert climb on the bed here. We're not going to stop you."

Blaine laughed and rolled his eyes. "That's good to know, but I don't think it'll be necessary."

He took his coat off and put it down on the bed, neatly, right next to where Kurt was sitting. Kurt felt his hand tingling, wanting to reach out and touch Blaine somehow, grab his hand, cup his face, kiss his lips, anything.

He cleared his throat. "I'll let you get comfortable. My room is the door across the hall, I'll just go drop my bag there, okay?"

Blaine nodded. "Okay."

Once Blaine was alone, he allowed himself to look around a little bit. The room wasn't that big, but there were details everywhere. Being there, Blaine noticed, was weird and not weird at all at the same time, and that didn't even make sense. How could he feel so comfortable at a stranger's house? He didn't know what it was that caused him to feel like that, but it wasn't an unwelcome feeling. Just foreign, very foreign.

"Boys!" Carole's voice came from downstairs. "Dinner's served!"

Blaine sighed and left the room at the same time Kurt left his. They smiled at each other without saying a word and went down to the kitchen, where Burt and Carole were already at the table.

"Oh, Carole, everything smells delicious," Kurt said as he took his seat, right next to the empty one for Blaine.

"Thank you, honey. I'm no Kurt Hummel, but I try," she giggled and passed the salad to Blaine.

The conversation centered first on Burt's tire shop. Kurt hadn't been around in a while and he wanted to know how everyone was doing. He had known most of his father's employees since he was a kid, as he told Blaine, filling him in so he wouldn't feel left out. Burt said that Finn was doing a great job, taking more and more responsibility every day and that he was confident it wouldn't be too long until he could retire and leave the shop to his step-son.

Carole wanted to know everything about _Ellie's_. She had only been there once right after the opening day but had been too busy to come back. Kurt told her about the new recipes he had been trying (Blaine nodding enthusiastically at the ones he had tried and approved himself) and some of the weird customers he had had.

Blaine particularly liked the way the Hummels included him in conversation without making him feel like he was a nuisance and without addressing uncomfortable topics, like his own family or his job. He supposed Kurt had mentioned something to them prior to their arrival but, instead of feeling annoyed, he felt grateful.

They kept talking long after the food disappeared from their plates, until Kurt yawned, exhausted after a long day at the bakery and the drive to Lima. Blaine was very tired, too and the thought of going to bed sounded more than appealing to him.

"Why don't you go to sleep, guys?" Burt said, as he stood up and helped Carole clear the dishes. "You both need it. Tomorrow will be a long day, too."

"I think that's a fantastic idea," Kurt yawned again. He turned to look at Blaine. "Blaine?"

"I agree," he answered and they both stood up. "Thanks so much for dinner. It was delicious."

"It was nothing," Caroled brushed his comment away with a smile. "I'm sure you're used to amazing meals now that you have Kurt around."

"I am, he's spoiling me," Blaine laughed, without being able to stop himself from glancing at Kurt affectionately.

"I'm just using him to experiment," Kurt shrugged, with a mischievous shine in his eyes. "Good night, Carole. Good night, Dad."

"Good night, boys," they answered and Kurt led Blaine upstairs, quietly.

They stopped in the middle of the hall, as if they didn't know what to do. Kurt pointed to a door on the right.

"That's my room," he said. "If you need anything…"

"Thanks," Blaine smiled softly.

"Sleep tight, Blaine," Kurt hesitated for a second, but then seemed to make a decision and leaned to kiss Blaine's cheek, sweetly.

Blaine held his breath while Kurt's lips were in contact with his skin. His hands ached to touch him and keep him close, but he didn't allow them to move, and finally, sadly, Kurt pulled away.

"Good night," Blaine whispered and Kurt gave him one last smile, his stunning blue eyes fixed on him, before he closed the door.


	6. Chapter 6

It took him a whole minute to remember why he was waking up in a bed that wasn't his, but as soon as he recalled the events of the day before, a lazy, sleepy smile spread on Blaine's lips.

 _Kurt_.

He was here because of Kurt.

The sounds of the morning started to reach his ears. He thought he heard Robert barking outside and a clash of dishes and voices probably coming from the kitchen. With a quick glance to his phone on the bedside table, he checked the time and found himself unable to remember the last time he had slept until nine. He got out of bed and stretched, ignoring the chills that came from leaving his cocoon of warm blankets and searched in his overnight bag for his toiletries and clothes.

Fifteen minutes later, he was walking down the stairs, showered, dressed and with his hair slicked back with gel. The smell of food reached him as soon as he put a foot on the floor.

He stopped in the doorway, looking into the kitchen. Carole and Kurt were there, almost dancing around each other as they moved from the countertops, to the stove, to the fridge. Carole was still in her pajamas and bathrobe, but Kurt was dressed in what looked like thick black leggings, high black boots and a knee-length gray sweater that hugged his chest almost sinfully. He had a red apron on, but somehow that didn't ruin his outfit at all.

Carole spotted Blaine when she turned around to check something she had in the oven. "Well, good morning, sunshine!"

Blaine smiled lightly. "Good morning, Carole."

"Hey," Kurt's smile grew wider when he saw him. He abandoned the bowl he was mixing something in on the counter and came to him, stopping just a couple of steps away. "How did you sleep?"

"Great, great," he couldn't take his eyes off of Kurt, as if nothing else existed in the kitchen, in the house, in the world. "How about you?"

"Mm, amazing. I always forget how comfortable my bed is," Kurt answered with a dreamy tone and then both just stared at each other for a few seconds, not saying anything, as if neither could remember what words were for…

Carole giggled and then cleared her throat, breaking the spell. She seemed embarrassed when they both snapped out of whatever trance they were in and looked at her, almost surprised to find her there. "Uhm, I… I think I'm gonna go get dressed. You two look so good that I feel bad."

Before either of them could reply, Carole was kissing both of their cheeks and leaving the kitchen quickly. Kurt and Blaine turned back to face each other and Blaine was pleased to see Kurt had a slight blush on his pale skin, because he _knew_ he was blushing, too.

Then Kurt cleared his throat, too. "I made pancakes for breakfast."

Blaine's stomach gurgled, which made Kurt laugh. "Do you _ever_ stop cooking?"

"Rarely," Kurt seemed to take a deep breath to gather some courage and then grabbed Blaine's hand to take him to the table. Blaine's body immediately responded to the touch, his fingers curling around his tightly, his heart speeding up inside his chest.

Blaine sat down, but regretted it immediately when Kurt retrieved his hand to go get the stack of pancakes that were next to the stove so they would stay warm. "That looks fantastic."

"They're my brother's favorites, so you better eat up before he gets here," Kurt laughed. Blaine started pouring syrup on his pancakes and Kurt took two mugs from the cupboard.

Blaine actually moaned a bit when the pancakes were in his mouth. "Is there anything you cook that isn't delicious? Oh my God, Kurt."

Kurt slid a cup of coffee across the table towards Blaine as he sat down in front of him with his own. "Of course not, I'm flawless," he said with an irritated huff and a roll of his eyes, which were sparkling.

"Yes, you are…" Blaine said before he realized what he was doing and the teasing that was floating in the air vanished as Kurt bit his lip and looked down at the wooden table, without knowing what to say. Blaine closed his eyes, making a mental note to bang his head against the wall later, before trying to change the subject. "So… where's your dad?"

"He had to go to the shop for a little while. One of his best client's car has broken down unexpectedly and he doesn't trust anyone else to fix it. He and Finn will probably be here in an hour or two," Kurt explained, sipping his coffee slowly.

"And Robert?" Blaine looked around, expecting to see the dog walking into the kitchen.

"He's having an awful lot of fun in the backyard," Kurt chuckled. "He clearly likes being outdoors."

"Yeah, he always goes kind of crazy when I take him to the park."

Kurt looked at him then and bit his lip again. "You have, uhm… you have syrup. There." He pointed to the corner of Blaine's mouth.

"Oh," Blaine grabbed a napkin and tried to dab at it but the amused expression on Kurt's eyes only got more intense. "There?"

"No, no, to the left… not so much…" Kurt leaned across the table. "Here, let me do it."

Blaine thought his heart had stopped at the sound of those words. He leaned in a bit, watching as Kurt grabbed the napkin from him and carefully, maybe too slowly, wiped the syrup away. They looked into each other's eyes then and Blaine could've sworn that Kurt's gaze dropped to his lips for less than a second.

 _I can do this. I can kiss him. What's stopping me? We are alone and I think there's a chance he wants to, too_ … Blaine's thoughts were making him dizzy, or maybe it was the deep shade of blue mixed with green and gray specks on Kurt's eyes and… was that even a bit of yellow around his iris?

He swallowed, nervously and moved an inch forward. He was going to do this.

Except that his phone started ringing in his pocket and reality was already smacking him in the head once again. Kurt jerked back, startled by the sound and so did Blaine, who quickly fished it out of his pocket only to feel his stomach dropping when he saw who was calling.

"I… I'd better take this," he mumbled, uncomfortably.

"Yeah, yeah, sure, go ahead," Kurt smiled at him and stood up, walking to the counter with his cup of coffee and resuming the work he had been doing before Blaine entering the kitchen, his hands a little shaky as he whipped whatever it was he had in that bowl.

Blaine stood up, too, and left the kitchen quickly. His first instinct was to get as far away from Kurt as possible for this, so he opened the front door and went outside as he accepted the call.

"Hello," he said, flatly.

"Are you on your way yet? The guests are starting to arrive," his father's sharp voice said on the other end, ignoring any sort of greeting.

Blaine closed his eyes and tried to sound calm when he spoke again. "I'm afraid I won't be able to make it today."

There was a pause. Blaine opened his eyes and looked around at the neighborhood. It seemed full of life at that moment. A car was parking in front of a house across the street and a little girl was opening the front door to greet her relatives with enthusiasm. Another group of kids where gathered near the corner, all with bikes and helmets and he could hear the sound of their laughter.

"What are you talking about?" Walter Anderson said, and a cold shiver ran down Blaine's spine at how low and unpleasant his tone was. "Stop acting like a child and get here, Blaine."

Blaine pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't. I'm not in Columbus."

"Then where the hell _are_ you?" His father asked and Blaine thought he heard the sound of a door being closed. His father was probably getting too furious to be in front of his guests anymore.

"I'm at a friend's house. They invited me over for Thanksgiving and I decided to come," Blaine answered vaguely. For a moment, he thought about Monday and how bad it was going to be. But he couldn't live his life afraid of what his father would think of him or tell him. He wasn't a child anymore.

"A friend's house?" Walter repeated, angry and incredulous at the same time. "You don't have any friends."

Blaine found himself having trouble breathing. "Yes, I do."

"Who would want to be friends with someone like you?"

The urge to punch something was so bad that he had to grip the doorknob behind him tightly. "I'm sorry that you find your own son so unlikeable, Dad, but there are people who aren't as narrow-minded as you in this world."

He could almost feel his father's anger boiling through the phone. "You don't talk to me like that, Blaine. You will show me respect."

Blaine opened his mouth to tell him respect should be something mutual, but his father didn't give him enough time to form the words.

"Now stop being ridiculous and come home!"

"No, I can't and I won't!" Blaine raised his voice. He couldn't remember the last time he had raised his voice at his father like that. Maybe he had never done it. "I'm going to spend Thanksgiving here with people who are happy to have me around and you can stay there and have fun with your guests and be glad that I'm not there to embarrass you with my presence."

"Blaine Anderson, you…" Walter started, the fire of his rage evident in every syllable. But Blaine interrupted him.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Dad. Say hello to Mom for me," and before he could give it a second thought, he hung up the phone.

His whole body was shaking as realization washed over him. Oh, _shit_. He felt sick, really sick, as the conversation replayed in his head. A part of him was dreading the retaliation this would bring when he went back to the office on Monday and another part felt liberated. But his father wasn't a man who brushed things off and forgot offenses. Blaine could expect nothing but hell from him in the next few days.

He tried to calm down before going back inside, but five minutes later he was still shaking and it wasn't helping that he had gone outside without a coat on. He turned around and entered the warm, cozy house again, wishing it would bring him some comfort, but it didn't. He swallowed, trying to keep his emotions at bay, before walking back to the kitchen.

Carole was back, wearing a simple blue dress, but everything was silent. Kurt seemed to be making some kind of pie, but it was obvious he wasn't really paying much attention to it. As soon as he heard Blaine returning, his head snapped to the side and Blaine could see all the worry tainting those beautiful blue eyes.

Blaine did his best to say something or to at least stop shaking, but he couldn't and he hated himself for being like this in front of Kurt and, even worse, in front of Carole. But one second later, Kurt was crossing the kitchen in a few long strides and throwing his arms around him.

Blaine was tense for just a couple more seconds before he melted against him. Kurt held him tight, as if he wasn't ever going to let go, his face pressed against Blaine's neck, his breath warming his skin there. Blaine sighed and allowed himself to completely fuse into Kurt's embrace. He buried his head in the crook of his shoulder and hugged him back, his arms wrapped around Kurt's waist. Kurt's scent was all around him, mixing with the delicious smell of the cooking going on in the kitchen, and Blaine breathed everything in.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked against his skin and now Blaine shivered for an entirely different reason.

He tugged him even closer, which wasn't even possible. He knew that Kurt had listened. It had been inevitable, after all, as soon as he had raised his voice. He nodded and he felt Kurt's fingers sneaking into his hairline. For the first time in his life, he wished he didn't use gel in it.

Kurt moved slightly, just enough to speak into his ear. "I _am_ happy to have you here, Blaine. So happy."

Blaine had to take another deep breath to steady his heartbeat and to stop himself from being even more pathetic and start crying. He dug his fingers deeper into the softness of Kurt's sweater at his sides.

Kurt pulled away without letting go, to look at him in the eyes. His own blue ones were shiny with tears, full of emotion. "Tell me what I can do to make you feel better."

 _Kiss me. Love me. Don't ever let me go._ Blaine carefully wiped Kurt's tears away with his thumb, letting his fingertips linger on that pale, perfect skin for longer than necessary. "I… I just need to stop thinking."

Kurt smiled, not as brightly as usual, but just as beautiful. He moved his arms from around Blaine, but held one of his hands. "There's nothing better to keep you busy than getting ready for a Thanksgiving meal."

Only then did Blaine realize Carole was still there, smiling at him comfortingly, cutting sweet potatoes into perfect circles. She didn't say anything, but she didn't have to, either. She kissed his cheek when he stood next to her and that was all he needed.

"Do you think you can handle peeling the potatoes?" Kurt asked, looking at him with calculating eyes. Blaine couldn't stop noticing that their hands were still intertwined.

"I think so, yes," he nodded, hating a bit how scratchy his voice sound, still too affected.

"Good, then get on it," Kurt replied, letting go and returning to the pie he was working on. Blaine missed the touch, but his body still tingled with the memory of it.

They started working and joking around and Blaine discovered that, next to Kurt, it wasn't that hard to forget about all the deceptions in his life. Kurt had the gift of making them look really small just by brushing their fingers together accidentally or flashing him a dazzling smile. Just for once, Blaine pushed reality aside, pushed it as far away as he could.

He would deal with whatever he had to deal with on Monday.

* * *

Burt and Finn came home ten minutes before the football game started. Carole, Blaine and Kurt were still in the kitchen, taking a little pause from all that cooking with a cup of coffee.

"Hey, dude, nice to meet you," Finn said when Kurt introduced him to Blaine. They shook hands. "It's good to finally see your face. Kurt talks so much about you that I…"

" _Finn_ ," Kurt cut, his teeth gritted. "Don't you have to go wash your hands or watch the game or throw yourself under a bus or something?"

"Oops. Sorry, man," Finn put his hands up in apology and turned around to go to the living room.

Blaine had to bite his lips to hide the huge smile that was threatening to split his face in half.

"Blaine," Burt said, after taking a bottle of water from the fridge. "Do you like football? Would you like to watch the game with us?"

Blaine glanced quickly at Kurt, as if he was asking if it was okay with him. Kurt immediately nodded. "Yeah, I'd love to, Mr. Hummel."

He grabbed his cup of coffee and followed Burt, leaving Kurt and Carole alone in the kitchen. Kurt kept his gaze on Blaine until he disappeared out of sight and then he sighed. When he turned to Carole, she had a knowing smile on her face.

"What?" He asked, shifting uncomfortably on his seat.

"You're head over heels for him," she said, and it was obvious she had wanted to say something about it for a while.

Kurt groaned and banged his head against the table before lying his forehead on his arms. "Am I that obvious?"

Caroled laughed and reached out to pat his hand. "I'm afraid you are, dear." She sipped her coffee before adding, "and so is he."

Kurt looked at her, a glimpse of hope in his eyes. "Do you really think so?"

"Oh, honey, I'm sure even Finn can see it."

Kurt gripped his cup a little tighter. "What should I do?"

"What if you tell him how you feel?" Carole shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing on the planet.

"Yeah, but… his life is complicated. I don't think he's comfortable with himself, so why would he be comfortable having a relationship?" Kurt spoke in a hushed, low tone, hoping no one else could hear their conversation.

"Sometimes having somebody love you exactly for who you are makes you see things about yourself that you didn't even know about," she said, standing up to take her cup to the sink and check on the turkey in the oven. "You could save him, Kurt. You could show him a lot of things that he doesn't know about himself. I don't think Blaine has ever been truly happy before."

"I don't think so, either," Kurt sighed, tiredly.

"And he could save _you_ ," Carole stood next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know you say that you don't care, but you don't have to be alone, Kurt. Your dad and I love how you always put the family first but, honey… we're not gonna be here forever. Your father is right. You need a family of your own."

Kurt didn't say anything. He didn't really know what to say. Yes, he was falling for Blaine, so, so hard. And yes, he could see himself with Blaine not only now but in the years to come, too. But… everything felt so complicated. He knew Blaine needed him. What if he screwed up and Blaine ended up losing the only support he had in his life?

"I'll keep an eye on the food," Carole said. "Why don't you go to your room and relax a bit or to the living room with Blaine?"

Kurt nodded. As soon as he left the kitchen, Brownie appeared around the corner and started rubbing against his legs. He picked her up and stood there, hesitant, in the middle of the hallway, until he decided to go into the living room. Burt was sitting in his old brown leather chair and Finn and Blaine were sharing the couch. Robert was sleeping next to Blaine's feet, contentedly.

Blaine looked up when he noticed Kurt was in the room and smiled at him softly. Kurt felt his heart flutter in his chest and made a gesture for him to scoot a bit so he would have room to sit down. Blaine obliged immediately, shifting to the middle of the couch so Kurt could sit on the end, with Brownie in his lap.

"You're going to watch football?" Finn asked, confused.

"No, I'm just going to sit down here because I'm tired," Kurt answered, with a warning tone that he hoped his brother would get.

He really didn't care about the game. He scratched behind Brownie's ears as she purred happily, painfully aware of the heat of Blaine's body next to him. He wanted to lean his head on his shoulder of kiss his cheek or grab his hand or anything, but he just couldn't. Not now. Not when he was so confused and so lost about what he wanted.

He really was tired. He had woken up quite early to help Carole with the food and he hadn't slept very well the previous night. Something about Blaine being in the room across from him had made him anxious and he had ended up finally falling asleep long after midnight.

It wasn't surprising then, that he fell asleep, especially since the game was boring and Brownie's purring seemed to be coercing him to close his eyes. But when he woke up, he was comfortable, comfortable and contented and he didn't feel like moving, so he just kept his eyes closed. Voices and noises coming from the TV started to fill his ears.

"Keep the volume down, Finn, and let your brother sleep," Burt's voice said, and it sounded as if he was a million miles away. "He's been up since early so you could have a decent Thanksgiving' meal, so be grateful."

"I _am_ grateful. I just can't really hear the game," Finn protested, equally distant.

"It's halftime anyway, Finn," Burt replied. "Come and help me and your Mom get the table ready. She said we'll eat when the game is over."

" _Fine_ ," Finn said, clearly not pleased.

"You okay there, buddy?" Burt asked then. "Do you want me to help you move him off you?"

"No, no, it's fine," came Blaine's voice, a lot closer. "I don't want to wake him up."

Then there was silence. Kurt was shifting between being conscious and falling back asleep and in the moments of consciousness, he could feel something warm and firm against his cheek. He inhaled, taking a deep breath, telling himself that he needed to get up and go help in the kitchen. It was then that Blaine's scent filled his senses and he snapped his eyes open to look straight into the curve of Blaine's neck.

He was pressed against his side, an arm thrown around his waist, his face pressed against the crook of his shoulder, almost half lying on top of him. His stomach started bubbling and he swallowed, looking up to see Blaine staring right back down at him.

"Hey," he whispered, knowing he had to move away but, God, it was so nice being there in Blaine's arms.

"Hey yourself," Blaine muttered with a little smile. "I think your dad was right. Football really isn't your thing."

Kurt laughed, but it was a hoarse sound, muffled with sleep. Blaine's eyes got a little darker and he licked his lips. Kurt didn't see it, busy nuzzling against his neck until he realized what he was doing.

"Sorry," he straightened up, immediately missing the heat of Blaine's body. He started fixing his hair, knowing it probably looked disastrous, but he stopped when Blaine reached out and brush back a strand falling on his forehead. His breath got caught in his throat.

"It's okay," Blaine said.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep on you," Kurt insisted, his cheeks blushing furiously.

"I didn't mind," Blaine shrugged nonchalantly, but his cheeks were pink, too. "It looked like you really needed it."

"Yeah…" Kurt didn't realize their legs were tangled, too, so when he tried to get up, he ended up falling on Blaine again, who caught him in his arms.

Kurt was first grateful for not kneeing Blaine in the groin when he fell, and then immediately hypnotized by how close Blaine's eyes were. He could see how golden they looked in the light of the living room, how amazingly beautiful they were.

 _I'm going to kiss him_ , Kurt thought, _I'll just do it. Everything I need to know is in a kiss. I'll just kiss him now…_

He moved forward, very, very slowly, giving Blaine time to pull away if he didn't want it, but it didn't seem like he was going to. In fact, Blaine's chest started heaving under him, his lips parted in anticipation, his eyes almost hungry…

"Come on, Burt, I think halftime must be done by now!" They heard Finn saying and Kurt jerked away as if he had been electrocuted, landing on the other end of the couch. He stood up, avoiding Blaine's eyes and hating himself so much, without even knowing why. "Oh, hey, you're awake!" Finn said with a goofy smile as he came into the living room. "Great. I think Mom needs help with the turkey and stuff."

"Right. The turkey. Yes, I'm coming," Kurt answered nervously, leaving the room as fast as he could. Blaine stayed where he was, eyes fixed on the television, his heart still beating like crazy, an annoying buzzing noise inside his head.

"You can turn the volume up now, Finn," Burt said, and Blaine looked around, confused, because he had no idea when the older man had slipped into the room. All he could perceive, feel and see seemed to Kurt and only Kurt.

The Buckeyes ended up losing, which made Finn and Burt scowl at the television for a few minutes. Blaine would have been upset too if the image of Kurt's lips getting closer to his own wasn't numbing his mind.

It was almost three in the afternoon when they finally sat down to eat. The table was laden with food and Finn looked around trying to decide what to put on his plate first. Kurt was sitting next to Blaine, but they weren't looking at each other. It was too soon, it was too hard, it was too tempting.

Once everyone's plates were full, Burt looked around the table with a pleasant smile. "This year I'm grateful for my family and my health. For my beautiful wife and my two sons who are both doing great in their lives. That's all I need."

Carole's smile was warm. "I'm grateful for those things, too. And for all of us being here together today. Nothing makes me happier than having the house full of people again. Since the two of you moved out it's been too quiet."

When Finn's turn came, he tried to swallow the mouthful of mashed potatoes he had eaten while everyone else was distracted. He cleared his throat, spitting a bit and causing Kurt to look at him in disgust. "Yeah, I'm grateful for this family, too. It's the greatest thing ever. And I'm grateful for Mom's cooking and Kurt's sandwiches."

"So, basically, you're grateful for food," Kurt quirked an eyebrow at his brother, disapprovingly. "I swear, Finn Hudson, sometimes I feel like I shouldn't have left Lima so early. There's so much I need to teach you."

Finn shrugged, clearly uninterested, eyeing the piece of turkey waiting for him on his plate. "Just start talking, dude, I'm starving."

Kurt sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm grateful for the same thing I'm grateful for every year: life and the people who make it worth living." Kurt's gaze travelled around the table.

There was a silence and then Carole tilted her head to look at Blaine. "What about you, dear?"

Blaine seemed genuinely surprised to be included in what obviously was a family tradition. His family didn't have traditions like this one, and if they had, Blaine was sure his mother would have been grateful for her large closet, her massage appointment on Tuesday's afternoon and her country club membership; his father would've been grateful for his expensive car and his young secretary.

"I…" Blaine hesitated. If he had to be honest, he had rarely had anything to be grateful for in his life. Being healthy? Having a place to live? Having food in his fridge? His dog? "I'm grateful for Kurt," he ended up saying and he instantly felt the heat rushing up his face, his ears, even into his hair. He could feel his skin reddening.

He chanced to look up a bit. Finn's mouth hung open, a half-chewed piece of bread visible inside. Carole was hiding a smile behind her hand and Burt had a weird expression on his face. It wasn't anger, or discomfort or anything Blaine had ever seen before. He couldn't really place it. And he couldn't really look at Kurt either.

Then, he felt a hand grabbing his. Kurt's long fingers intertwined with his, squeezing. Blaine forced himself to look to his side to find Kurt staring back at him with a sweet smile and eyes full of emotion. They kept their eyes fixed on each other, without saying a word, for what felt like forever. The others started eating, sharing glances between them, knowing they were absolutely invisible to the other two boys sitting at the table with them.

The moment was broken when Finn dropped his fork and it landed quite loudly on his plate. Carole seemed like she wanted to murder him when Kurt and Blaine's hands pulled away, but they simply smiled and started eating.

Saying the food was delicious would've been an understatement. Blaine kept praising both Carole and Kurt for it and Finn joined him enthusiastically with every bite he took to his mouth. They were all soon chatting animatedly. Finn was telling Blaine about his work at the shop and Kurt and Carole were talking about the Black Friday's sales they were hoping to take advantage of the next day, as Burt tried to convince them not to go because it was going to be crazy. Kurt looked at his father as if he had lost his mind.

Blaine watched everyone interact for a while. This was what a family was supposed to be like. This was what a holiday gathering was really about. It was like entering a different dimension. He tried to imagine what his parents and their guests would have done if Kurt and Blaine had held hands like they just had and then decided he didn't want to know the answer.

When they were done eating a long time later, Blaine offered to help Finn with the dishes. He washed as Finn put the leftovers away in the fridge and then started drying. Just as soon as they didn't hear anyone else around, Burt and Carole probably in the living room watching TV and Kurt was somewhere else in the house, Finn turned to look at him.

"So… you like my brother, right?" He asked.

Blaine froze for a moment and almost dropped a plate. "I…"

"Hey, it's cool if you like him, you know. I think he likes you, too," Finn shrugged. "I just thought I should tell you that if you break his heart and stuff, I'll kick your ass."

Blaine's eyes got a bit wider. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious, he's my brother, he had a hard time in high school and he shouldn't have to deal with more crap," Finn fixed his eyes on him. They were gentle, but surprisingly severe at the same time. "Kurt deserves to be happy. I guess the way you look at each other is a good sign, but still… I felt like I should warn you."

"I… okay, thank you," Blaine said, still a bit confused about the whole exchange. "I really don't know if Kurt and I will ever… but it's cool because… don't worry about it, Finn."

Finn just looked at him for a moment longer and then nodded. "Okay. But you can talk to me about it, if you want to. After Burt, I'm the one who knows Kurt the best."

Blaine finished washing the dishes and dried his hands on a kitchen cloth. "I appreciate it, Finn."

Finn gave him a pat on the shoulder and then walked away, leaving him alone in the middle of the empty kitchen, wondering if Kurt's brother had just offered to help him and Kurt get together.

He stood there in confusion for a moment before simply shaking his head and deciding it would be a good moment to take Robert out for a walk. He thought he would ask Kurt to go with him, so he left the kitchen to go find him. Finn, Carole and Burt were watching TV, but Kurt wasn't there, so Blaine climbed the stairs to his room.

Kurt's bedroom door was slightly ajar, so Blaine could see him lying on his bed on top of the covers, with Brownie curled up on the empty side, flipping through a magazine. He took a few seconds to appreciate how gorgeous Kurt was when he was relaxed and in his own world, before softly knocking to get his attention.

The smile that spread on Kurt's lips when he saw who it was almost too much for Blaine.

"Hey," he said. "I was thinking about taking Robert out for a walk. Would like to come with me?"

Kurt put the magazine aside instantly and sat up. "Sure, let me just put my boots back on."

Blaine glanced around the room, curious about what Kurt had been like when he was a teenager. The room was tastefully decorated. He could see a large vanity next to the window on the opposite wall and a couple of bookshelves with magazines, portraits and CDs.

"You don't have to stay out there. You can come in, you know," Kurt teased, as he tied one of the boots. It almost reached his knee and it hugged his calf perfectly. Blaine had never thought he would have a thing for boots, but hey, maybe he did when it came to Kurt.

"It's a nice room," he commented, just to say something.

"Thanks. I had a great time decorating it when we moved in," Kurt said.

"I guess that's one more thing to add to your list of skills, then. Interior design," Blaine muttered, studying the books on another shelf and eliciting a chuckle from him. He was then distracted by the huge collection of records Kurt had. "Whoa, some of these are almost impossible to get. And you have so many Broadway originals."

"We could listen to some of them when we come back, if you want," Kurt offered and Blaine turned around to find he had finished putting his other boot on and was waiting for him.

"I'd love to," Blaine replied.

He made a stop in Finn's room to get Robert's leash and his camera, just in case, and then they both went downstairs, looking for the dog, who was asleep next to the fireplace in the living room, but jumped up excitedly as soon as he realized they were going for a walk.

Kurt put on a white coat that contrasted perfectly with the black tights and boots he was wearing and also matched the thin layer of snow outside. Blaine couldn't help but notice how good he looked as he slid into his own black coat and wrapped a red scarf around his neck.

They walked down a few streets without saying a word, just simply looking around and breathing in the cool autumn air. Kurt had his hands in his pockets and Blaine held Robert by his leash, stopping every now and then when he wanted to sniff a tree.

"Your family is even nicer than I imagined they would be," Blaine commented after a few minutes, stopping to take a picture of Robert as he rolled around in the snow.

Kurt smiled. "I know. I have no idea what I would do without them."

Blaine was silent again, thinking about the conversation he had had with his father earlier. He had promised himself he would keep those thoughts away for the rest of the weekend, but he knew he couldn't. He knew that, if he didn't think about it now, he would think about it all night, when he went to bed and the dark of the room around him offered no distraction.

Kurt sighed, obviously realizing what was going through Blaine's head. He took a step forward, just enough to stand beside him, and tangled one of his arms around his, pulling him a little closer. "You're welcome here with us whenever you need to, Blaine. And I know you probably don't want to talk about what happened today, but if you ever do, I'm here."

Blaine could've turned to the side and just pressed his lips against Kurt's, but he really didn't want to kiss him while being so upset because of his father. "Thank you for everything, Kurt. I honestly don't know what I would do without you."

They smiled at each other sweetly for a few seconds before resuming their walk, this time with their arms linked. Kurt kept rubbing his hand up and down Blaine's coat, probably trying to warm it up, so Blaine decided to be a little more daring and grabbed it, pulling it down until it was inside his pocket, where he didn't let go.

They kept walking, scooting closer and closer with every step they took, as Kurt hummed under his breath, Robert wagging his tail in front of them. They stopped once again while Robert seemed to be deciding which tree to pee. Kurt sighed and leaned his head against Blaine's shoulder, brushing his cold nose on his scarf. Blaine, feeling the bubbles in his stomach once again, held the camera in front of them and snapped a quick picture before Kurt had time to cover himself.

" _Blaine_ ," he whined, nuzzling a bit further against his neck and, well, okay, this proximity thing was really getting to Blaine. Kurt was warm, firm and real against him, and absolutely adorable. He couldn't get tired of him. He wasn't sure how he was going to go back to his routine on Monday, how he was going to go back to his apartment at the end of the day, to an empty place without the nice vibes he felt being here with him.

"Hey, Hummel," a voice broke through Blaine's thoughts and Kurt lifted his head from his shoulder to look to their left. A big, black man that looked around their age was staring at them, frowning. "If you're going to be a disgusting fag, don't do it in public."

Blaine felt Kurt's hand tensing in his inside his coat's pocket. "Well, hello to you, too, Azimio. I see you're still an ignorant jerk. Some things never change."

"I can see that. You're still a filthy cocksucker," Azimio's face scrunched in displeasure. "If you don't want a reminder of what we do to abominations like you in this town, you better take your lady boy and leave."

"And here I was thinking this was a free country and that I could walk down the streets as a free man," Kurt replied. Blaine had no idea what to do. Should he drag Kurt away from the other man? Should he just stand there? Should he intervene?

"A man doesn't take things up the ass, Hummel," Azimio retorted. "And now get out of my sight. My nieces are home and I don't want them to look out the window and see any of your crap."

"Oh no, we really don't want to teach tolerance, respect and acceptance to our future generations, that would be an atrocity," Kurt rolled his eyes. He was clearly furious, but he kept a calm expression on his face, looking almost bored with the whole situation.

Blaine saw the flash of anger in Azimio's eyes. He tugged at Kurt's hand. "Kurt, let's just leave. We don't want any trouble."

"No. You know what, I had to put up with a lot of crap from him when I was in high school. Now I'm a grown up and I'm not scared of him," there was something fierce in Kurt's expression, some sort of fire burning under his skin. "I'm so tired of people treating us like we have a disease they're afraid to catch…"

"Well, Karofsky certainly caught it from you," Azimio said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Some people say he moved to Kentucky and he's living with another guy."

"Good for him," Kurt answered sharply. "He might have been an idiot and a coward when we went to school, but he has more guts than you do for deciding to be who he really is."

Azimio was clearly done with the whole conversation and decided that the best way to reason with Kurt was to actually use his fists, because he moved forward, clenching his hands at his sides, his jaw tight and his eyes narrowed.

Blaine moved before he could even think of what he was doing and stepped in front of Kurt. It wasn't really necessary, though, because as soon as Azimio stepped towards them, Robert growled, the hair on his back bristling, his teeth showing in a menacing way. He barked three times, causing Azimio to back away immediately.

"Get the hell away from him," Blaine said, tightening his grip on Robert's leash so he wouldn't throw himself on Azimio.

"Grab your dog and your little cum bucket here and stay away from my street if you don't want any trouble," Azimio replied, pointing at them with his finger, but walking back to his house, his glare fixed on Blaine.

Blaine exhaled shakily once the door was closed and they were alone again. Robert immediately relaxed and went back to his happy, tail-wagging self, as if nothing had happened. He turned around to look at Kurt.

"Let's just go," Kurt mumbled, clearly upset.

"Kurt…"

"Please, Blaine, I just want to get out of here," he tugged at his hands, which hadn't let go of each other during the whole thing.

Blaine nodded as they started walking back to the Hummels' house. Now he had a bit of an idea of what Finn had been talking about earlier in the kitchen. Kurt seemed to have as many ghosts as he had, but, unlike Blaine, he dealt with them with his head high, proudly.

As soon as they closed the front door behind them, Kurt broke the grasp of their hands and climbed up the stairs quickly, not looking back at Blaine, not saying anything. Blaine felt a painful pang in his chest when he heard him locking himself up in his bedroom.

When would people stop trying to ruin every good thing they built for themselves?

* * *

Blaine had retreated to Finn's room after watching Kurt go upstairs. He laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a while, until his brain started pleading for something to be distracted with. His eyes landed on Finn's old comic book collection. He grabbed a couple and started flipping through them, reading them vaguely, still feeling something bugging him at the back of his mind.

Robert was on the floor next to the bed, sleeping. His quiet snoring was the only company Blaine had, and for a moment, if he closed his eyes, he could pretend he was back in his apartment. He didn't like how it made his heart clench painfully in his chest.

The door opened slowly, carefully, almost shyly. Blaine looked up to find Kurt peeking inside, his hair a little mussed.

"Can I come in?" He asked timidly.

"Yes, yes, of course," Blaine sat up immediately as Kurt slid into the room and closed the door behind him. He stood there uncomfortably for a moment until he sighed and fixed his eyes on Blaine again.

"I'm sorry," he said then. "I shouldn't have acted like that. I shouldn't let this affect me, not anymore."

"You don't have to apologize. You know I understand how you feel," Blaine shrugged. Kurt took a few more steps into the room.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I should have just walked away from you like I did," he rocked on his feet, back and forth. "I should actually thank you, for stepping in front of me, for defending me. The last time I had to face Azimio no one really cared…"

"I have to be honest, I had no idea what I was doing," Blaine chuckled nervously. "He's three times bigger than me. But… I didn't want anything bad happening to you."

"Well, we're lucky we had Robert with us, then," Kurt muttered, crouching to scratch Robert's ears.

"I've never seen him react like that," Blaine admitted, looking down at his dog.

"And let's hope he never has to again," Kurt sighed, before sitting on the bed next to Blaine.

There was a pause before Blaine spoke again. "Finn mentioned you had a hard time in high school."

"Uhm? He did?" He hummed distracted. "Oh, well, Finn's been beating himself up since we graduated. I was bullied a lot and he didn't always step up for me. I was a bit mad at him at the time, but now I understand. He was a kid, too, he was just as scared as I was, even if our fears were different."

"How bad was it?" Blaine asked, a bit afraid of the answer.

"Lots of pushing around, name-calling," Kurt said quietly, moving to sit beside Blaine. He shuddered a bit before adding. "One of my bullies kissed me in the locker room."

" _What_?" Blaine turned to look at him, his eyes wide.

"Karofsky was gay, too, but he was terrified of other people finding out. I guess he bullied me because he was jealous of how confident I was about who I am? I don't even know," Kurt shook his head. "He apologized and he transferred to a different school during our senior year. I barely heard about him or saw him after that."

"Kurt, that's horrible…" Blaine placed a comforting hand on his back and started rubbing circles there with his thumb.

"Yeah, well… I like to think I put everything that happened in high school behind me. But then there are times, like today, when it all comes back to me, and it hits me that nothing has really changed," Kurt sounded tired and kind of sad. Blaine missed his bright smile already.

"You're so much better than any of them," Blaine said softly. "You're better than anyone I know, Kurt. He insulted you, he threw every name in the book at you and you still were able to stay classy and witty. Not many people would've done that. I definitely didn't."

"You did more than enough," Kurt replied soothingly. "Azimio is my problem, not yours."

"People like him are everyone's problem," Blaine huffed.

After a long pause in which Blaine unconsciously never ceased to trace random patterns on Kurt's back with his fingers, Kurt studied him with interest.

"It might have been nice," he commented, "going to a school like Dalton. You were lucky."

"I didn't always attend Dalton," Blaine's fingers froze against Kurt, and that didn't go unnoticed. "I transferred there because I… because I was beaten up pretty badly in my old school."

"Oh my God, _Blaine_ ," Kurt turned to face him. Blaine's hand fell limp on the bed. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," he said, as if it wasn't a big deal, as if the little scar on his side where one of his ribs had broken through the skin had been nothing but a scratch.

"It's not," instinctively, Kurt cupped his face with his hands, locking their eyes, staring deep into Blaine's honey eyes. "It shouldn't be like this."

"If I think about it, it was almost worth it," Blaine said, an edge of bitterness in his voice. "That's what made me end up transferring to Dalton, and that's where I spent the happiest years of my life. I liked boarding there. My friends were much more of a family than my parents."

"Do you still see them?" Kurt asked.

"No. Most of them went to other states and the few that really were near me while I was in Harvard or when I came back here… I just, I didn't make the effort to stay in touch and I hated myself for that. I was too obsessed with being the top of my class in college and then working my ass off to please my dad when I started at his firm…" Blaine frowned, clearly disappointed in himself. "I isolated myself because I thought doing something to feel part of my family was more important than anything else, and I ended up exactly how I didn't want to end up: alone."

"Not anymore," Kurt whispered, his head resting on his shoulder. The weight was nice and warm and it comforted Blaine more than anything else had in his life.

Somehow they ended up sliding back on the bed until they were lying down, tangled together. Kurt rested his head against Blaine's chest, his forehead pressed into the crook of his neck, and threw an arm around him. Their legs were intertwined and Blaine had one of his arms around Kurt's shoulders and was holding his hand with the other. It was perfect and much more intimate than most of the things that Blaine had done in his life, and it made him feel complete.

They didn't move or say anything until Robert woke up what seemed an eternity later and started whining because he wanted to get out of the room. Sighing, neither of them really wanting to let go, they got up and went downstairs, letting the dog go out to the backyard.

Burt, Carole and Finn were eating pie at the kitchen table.

"Hey boys," Burt smiled at them. "We didn't know where you were, so I hope you don't mind we started eating dessert without you."

"It's fine, Dad," Kurt smiled back.

He immediately began a conversation – well, more of a monologue, really – about his detailed plans for Black Friday. When he turned around and asked Blaine if he would like to go with him, Blaine grinned widely and nodded with enthusiasm. The other three instantly looked at him as if he was doomed.

"Dude, you do _not_ want to go shopping with him," Finn said with his eyes wide open.

"Why not?" Blaine asked in confusion, tilting his head to the side, as Kurt glared at his brother.

"He goes crazy. Literally," Finn insisted.

The two brothers started bickering back and forth, their parents were used to it and just laughed at them as Blaine watched them with a tiny smile on his face. It all felt right, as he sat there sharing with someone else's family the kind of holiday he had always wanted to have.

Even with the unpleasant encounter with Kurt's bully, this was much better than many of the memories Blaine had from other years.

That night, he went to bed feeling excited for what the next day would bring.


	7. Chapter 7

Blaine was awoken gently by a hand shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes and noticed the room was still dark, before the smell of coffee filled his nostrils and Carole's face became barely visible next to him.

"Good morning, dear," she said softly. "You'd better get up if you want to join Kurt on his crazy Black Friday crusade."

"What time is it?" He sat up against the pillows, rubbing his eyes, confused.

"Almost five in the morning," Carole said, putting the cup down on the bedside table. "Kurt wants to be out of here before six. Earlier, if possible, so you have to start moving."

"Sure, I'm coming," he mumbled, still a little sleepy.

Carole chuckled as she left the room. Blaine reached for the lamp switch and turned the light on. He felt as if he had just gone to bed, even though he had slept so well he couldn't remember the last time it had been that way. The house was mostly silent. He could hear what he assumed was Burt's snoring in the distance and something that suspiciously sounded a lot like a hair dryer and was probably coming from Kurt's bathroom.

He started sipping his coffee, hoping it would help him get rid of his drowsiness. The bed was warm and comfortable and he didn't see the appeal in getting out of it to go fight his way into crowded shops, but Kurt was really excited about going, and that was all that mattered to Blaine.

Just as he was about to put down his empty coffee cup, Kurt leaned against the doorway, completely dressed and quirking an eyebrow at him. He looked absolutely fantastic and Blaine almost choked on the last drop of coffee he was swallowing. The jeans he was wearing weren't as tight as the ones Blaine normally saw on him, but they were still perfectly fitted. He had a white long sleeved t-shirt with a black vest over it and his hair was perfectly styled… at five in the morning. How could he look so stunning at five in the morning when Blaine was still in sweatpants, an old Harvard t-shirt and his curls completely messy on top of his head?

"I see you made a lot of progress while I was finishing in the shower," Kurt teased with a smirk.

Blaine felt the urge to cover himself up completely with the blankets. "I… I'll be ready in ten minutes, I promise. Just need a quick shower, then I'll throw some clothes on and get my hair…"

"Don't," Kurt interrupted, narrowing his eyes a little as he studied Blaine intently. "Don't gel your hair down. The curls look cute on you."

It was way too early to blush this much, Blaine thought as he cleared his throat. "Uhm, thanks."

"You're welcome. I'll be downstairs having breakfast. Come down when you're ready!"

Blaine showered very quickly, decided to leave shaving for when they were back because they would be late if he did it now, put on jeans and a black hoodie (it was too early to have fashion sense. He wasn't Kurt) and then stood in front of the mirror with the bottle of gel in his hand, trying to decide what to do. He finally put the bottle down, fingered the curls into some sort of order and, praying for the best because he knew how wild his hair could be, went downstairs to find Kurt.

Kurt was about to take a bite of his wheat toast when Blaine came into the kitchen and he suddenly dropped it onto the plate. It wasn't the first time Kurt noticed just how gorgeous Blaine really was, but right now he looked so natural, so perfect, so accessible that Kurt was starting to wonder if he wasn't about to have a heart attack, because it couldn't be normal for his heart to be beating that fast.

Blaine looked down at himself, self-conscious. "I know this sort of falls into a completely unfashionable category but, uhm… I figured we would be walking around a lot today and I wanted to be comfortable."

Kurt just kept looking at him, mouth slightly open. He just couldn't tear his eyes away.

Blaine started tugging at the hem of his hoodie. "Okay, fine, I'll go get changed…"

"No!" Kurt practically yelled, causing Blaine's eyes to widen. "Uh. I mean… you look… you look really good. Really, really good."

Blaine smiled slightly, a sparkle lighting up his eyes. "Do you really think so?"

" _Yes_ ," Kurt replied, maybe way too eagerly. He tried to cover it up by drinking his coffee. "But don't tell Finn I said that because I've been trying to convince him to wear something more than just jeans and hoodies for years."

What Blaine ended up planning to actually say to Finn was that he had been right. Kurt dragged him from store to store for hours and Blaine was convinced his feet were bleeding inside his shoes. Kurt was an enthusiastic shopper (and a very fierce, scary one, too. He almost ripped a woman's head off when she tried to take the scarf he had set his eyes on) and seemed to be lost in his own happy place as the number of bags in Blaine's hands kept increasing.

But it didn't matter just how tired Blaine was or how much his feet were begging for him to stop and sit down, since seeing Kurt so happy, especially after experiencing what Kurt looked like when he was sad and upset the day before, was enough to keep him going forever. He willingly carried Kurt's bags around when he wanted to go in a particularly crowded (and violent, too) sale that he didn't want to miss. He rescued the pair of boots Kurt wanted from two other pairs of greedy hands and had tried on at least a dozen outfits that Kurt was convinced would look good on him even though Blaine insisted he had nowhere to wear them to, because he wore a suit for work and comfortable jeans or sweatpants at home, and he never really went anywhere else.

"I'll take you out to dinner just so you can have an excuse to wear it," Kurt had said, his cheeks slightly flushed as Blaine realized that Kurt had just covertly asked him out.

Blaine ended up buying all the outfits Kurt approved of.

They stopped by midday to recharge their energy at a coffee shop. Blaine bought the biggest coffees they had and two chicken sandwiches while Kurt sat at their table, typing on his phone as he checked for the list of stores he still wanted to go to.

"I forgot to ask you why Carole didn't come with us," Blaine said as he took his seat across from him at the tiny table. "I thought she was going to."

"She had to work, she had the morning shift," Kurt explained distractedly and finally put his phone back into his pocket.

"How many more stores do we have left?" Blaine wanted to know, tilting his head to the side, curiously.

Kurt smirked. "Getting tired already?"

"No, I'm just asking," Blaine smiled and took a sip of his coffee.

"Just a few more," Kurt answered, chewing thoughtfully at his sandwich. "I know you must be exhausted. I'm sorry. I promise we can take a nap when we get home."

Blaine's mind wandered before he could stop it and he suddenly pictured himself wrapped around Kurt, with a soft blanket covering them as they drifted off to sleep together, lying tightly against each other on the couch. He could almost smell Kurt's delicious coconut shampoo…

"Don't worry about it," he replied, forcing himself out of his daydream. "I'm actually having fun."

"You are?" Kurt asked, hopeful, and Blaine laughed at how innocent he looked right then. It was especially comic since Kurt had been looking everything but innocent all morning.

"Of course I am," Blaine gave him a warm smile. It was hard for Kurt to read the meaning behind it.

 _I'm having fun because I'm with you_.

The last few stores weren't such a crazy experience as all the previous ones, mainly because they were both tired and thinking about that nap Kurt promised. When they finally headed back to Kurt's car, Blaine could swear he could hear his feet cheering.

Blaine helped Kurt carry the ridiculous number of bags up to his room. They put them on the floor, neatly, aligned against the wall so they wouldn't trip over them. Kurt sighed, thinking about the herculean task of having to hang up everything in his closet once he went back to Columbus. Kurt dropped down on the bed, sighing deeply and closing his eyes. He could still feel Blaine's presence, awkwardly standing near the door.

"You know, I told you yesterday we could listen to some of my records but we didn't get the chance," Kurt mumbled, turning on his side so he could face Blaine. "Would you like to do it now?"

"Yeah, sure," Blaine answered with a smile. When Kurt made a gesture for Blaine to pick something, he went over to where Kurt had his records very well organized and scanned the titles for a while before choosing one of his favorite Beatles albums.

Once the first song was playing, he looked around the room for somewhere to sit down. He was about to walk towards the desk chair on the other side of the room, when Kurt patted the bed beside him, his eyes already closed, a sleepy grin on his lips. Blaine couldn't resist it and he laid down next to him, careful to keep a decent distance.

Kurt was too sleepy to actually care. As soon as the bed shifted with Blaine's weight, he moved closer and snuggled against his side, burying his face in his neck, loving how soft the hoodie was against his skin in contrast to the scruff growing on Blaine's jaw. He inhaled with a contented sigh, loving Blaine's masculine scent mixed with something that could've been cologne or body wash.

Blaine held his breath as he felt Kurt cuddling him without a second thought. He stayed very still, afraid any sudden movement would make Kurt pull away, but he didn't. He hummed happily along with the songs, and by the third one, Blaine felt confident enough to actually intertwine their hands together. That was the most he could move, trapped as he was in Kurt's embrace.

One of Kurt's hands sneaked up and he lazily let his fingers tangle in Blaine's curls, playing with them as _I Want to Hold Your Hand_ started filling the room. Kurt's voice sounded low and beautiful next to Blaine's ear as he began to sing. Blaine melted completely, noticing how the love he felt for this man was taking over his body, his mind, his soul. Kurt already owned his heart.

The house was silent and empty. Blaine knew Burt was at the garage with Finn and Carole's shift at the hospital hadn't finished yet. This was his perfect chance. He could kiss Kurt now and there and just tell him everything…

He couldn't bring himself to interrupt the song, though, so he waited, he patiently waited as Kurt's voice enveloped him like a caress. It was getting slower and less and less audible. Kurt stopped singing before the last chorus and just nuzzled against his neck. Blaine could feel the smile against his neck.

 _Here I go_ , he thought, taking a deep breath.

"Kurt?" He said softly, not wanting to disturb the beautiful atmosphere that had been built around them. There was no answer, just the regular, gentle puff of breath against his neck as Kurt breathed in and out. "You're asleep, aren't you?" He whispered, with a sigh.

Kurt's only response was to tighten a bit the grip where their hands were linked together on Blaine's chest. Blaine smiled. This was good enough. This was more than he had ever dared to dream of. He tilted his head slightly, so he could press his lips against Kurt's temple. He looked so peaceful, so happy. Blaine couldn't bring himself to wake him up.

He just laid there, snuggling Kurt close, listening to his breathing mix with the songs still playing and he closed his eyes, falling asleep almost immediately, and realizing that the sensation gradually growing somewhere in his chest was a pure, sheer happiness he had never felt before.

* * *

Blaine woke up feeling warm, with an unusually big smile on his face, not too long after that. He rolled to his side a bit and opened his eyes when the strong, sweet scent of Kurt filled his senses. He was still in Kurt's bed, though the other man was nowhere to be seen. There was a furry, soft blanket draping him and the image of Kurt putting it on top of him so he wouldn't be cold sent shivers of intense emotion down his spine.

He allowed himself a few more minutes to just bask in the strong, freeing sensation of that happiness he had discovered earlier, the one that had been growing inside of him since the moment he had seen Kurt for the first time, before sighing in contentment and deciding to get up. He straightened up the bed, putting the pillows in their original position and folding the blanket. He could hear the quiet sound of voices coming from downstairs. It was nice, he thought, waking up to a house full of life, to hear more the usual silence of his apartment with only the noise of Robert's paws against the wooden floors. It was nice knowing he wasn't alone.

Blaine went downstairs. The voices came from the kitchen and they unmistakably belonged to Kurt and Finn. They seemed to be arguing about something and Blaine's smile immediately disappeared from his face, until he realized the tone of the argument was actually a bit playful.

"Come on, Kurt, it's not like I've never done it before," Finn was saying.

"Well, that just makes it even worse. I'm wondering how you manage to stay thin with the amount of food you shove into your mouth," Kurt answered as Blaine stood at the doorway, looking at them. Kurt was making a sandwich that looked rather big, with a clearly disapproving expression on his face.

"It's your fault for cooking so well," Finn crossed his arms over his chest. He obviously had just arrived from the tire shop, because he was wearing a dark blue coverall with his name embroidered in cursive, red letters on his chest.

"He has a point," Blaine muttered from where he was leaning against the doorway.

Kurt jumped a bit at the unexpected sound and turned around, one of those bright smiles of his spreading across his face immediately and causing Blaine's heart to skip a few beats. "You're up," he said a little breathlessly.

"Yeah," Blaine replied, incapable of tearing his eyes away from him. Kurt must have showered once he woke up, because his hair wasn't styled and shaped with product anymore, but a little damp at the ends and much more casual. He was also wearing loose sweatpants and an old McKinley high school red hoodie.

Finn rolled his eyes. "Would you mind finishing my sandwich before you two start staring lovingly at each other?"

Blaine gaped. "We… we don't…"

"No, we just…" Kurt raised his hands in front of him, as if he was trying to hold Finn's accusation away from him.

"I mean, not that I wouldn't…"

"It's not that I don't find him…"

Finn burst out, his laughter filling the kitchen as he clutched his stomach, almost bent in half. "You guys should see your _faces_ right now."

Kurt felt himself blushing furiously and turned his back to Blaine to cover it, returning his attention back to Finn's sandwich. "Shut _up_."

"Whatever, just give me my food," Finn started tapping his foot against the floor, impatiently.

Kurt dropped the finished sandwich on a plate, carelessly, letting some of the filling fall out of it. "I hope you choke on it, Finn Hudson."

Finn even dared to give him a smug smirk as he left the kitchen, winking at Blaine when he passed him on his way to the living room.

The silence extended between them for a few seconds until Blaine cleared his throat. "So… where are your parents?"

"Grocery store," Kurt answered simply, taking an especially long time cleaning the counter, making sure there wasn't even a bread crumble left on it. When he knew he couldn't keep pretending anymore, he looked at Blaine. "Uhm, would you like a sandwich, too?"

"No, I'm fine," Blaine smiled gently. "Thank you."

Kurt looked for something to talk about that would deflect the situation from Finn's awkward comments. "My dad asked me to go to the garage with him tomorrow, to help him like I used to."

"Oh," Blaine said. He looked down at his feet and then back at him. "Okay. That's great."

"Yeah, I really like doing that. We had our best bonding moments when I helped him there after school," Kurt explained, opening the fridge to grab a bottle of water.

Blaine nodded. He had been with Kurt since Wednesday night. He still had a bit more of time to be with him during the rest of the weekend. Kurt deserved to spend some time with his dad. Blaine had no right to feel left out or to be sad because he couldn't spend every second of his day with him. He couldn't be that naïve. Monday would come and punch him in the face if he allowed himself to be.

"I'll probably go out for a walk with Robert, then," Blaine said, hoping he didn't sound needy.

Gosh, he _hated_ sounding needy.

"I…" Kurt shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "I was actually going to ask you to come with me, if you wanted, but if you want to…"

"Really?" Yup, he definitely sounded needy now.

He wondered if Kurt would notice if he started banging his head against the wall.

Kurt smiled encouragingly. "Yeah, well, I _did_ bring you here this weekend to spend time with you and so you could meet my family."

"I don't know anything about cars," Blaine bit his lip.

Kurt's grin shouldn't have been as happy as it was. "I'll show you."

* * *

The next morning, Kurt was almost done with his moisturizing routine when there was a knock on the door. Assuming it was his father (Burt always wanted to know when his son would be done putting things on his face so they could just _leave_ ), he kept tracing circles over his cheekbones with one of his many facial creams as he exclaimed, "come in!"

But when it was Blaine who peeked inside with a shy smile, Kurt wanted to throw himself under the covers of his bed and out of sight.

"Blaine! I… hi, I…" he lowered his face as much as he could to hide the traces of light green spread over his pale skin.

"Good morning," Blaine said. "I was wondering… do you have anything I can wear? I didn't bring many clothes and the ones I brought are definitely not comfortable enough to work on cars."

Kurt grabbed a paper tissue and wiped his face quickly, completely defeating the purpose of his routine. "Yeah, sure, I can find something for you."

He stood up and walked to his closet, searching through the old clothes he kept there. He found his own coveralls, which he had planned to wear, but they were too long for Blaine. He fished out a pair of sweatpants that he had used for gym before his last growth spurt at high school and an old Hummel Tires and Lube hoodie.

"These should fit you," he put them in Blaine's hands and they smiled at each other. "I'll be down in ten minutes and maybe we can have a coffee before we have to leave?"

"Of course," Blaine reached out and wiped a bit of facial cream from the tip of Kurt's nose. Kurt blushed and closed his eyes, half in embarrassment, half overwhelmed by the contact, as if it was too early to feel _so much_. "I'll be waiting."

And just like that, Kurt's heart melted like ice-cream on a hot summer day inside his chest. Was Blaine _flirting_? Was he really flirting?

Because Blaine never flirted. Or didn't as bluntly as then, at least. And yeah, he had opened up a lot, Kurt had seen a lot of different sides of Blaine in the past few days and their friendship was showing a slow yet steady evolution but… flirting? Blaine Anderson flirting?

Kurt had to admit he loved it.

He finished his moisturizing routine very quickly and changed into his coveralls. He had never really liked wearing them, but it was the most practical thing. He was convinced no one in the history of humanity could look good in coveralls. It just made his body look disproportionate and weird. He sighed as he walked down the stairs: he should've thought thorough it better before inviting Blaine to join him at his dad's garage.

"Good morning kiddo," Burt said from his place at the stove, where he was serving some bacon out of the pan. Kurt glared at him, hoping he wasn't planning to eat it himself. When Burt rolled his eyes and placed the plate in front of Blaine at the table, Kurt sighed and poured three cups of coffee.

"Good morning, dad," Kurt sat down in front of Blaine only to realize his hazel eyes were fixed on him. He smiled slightly, trying not to show how much he liked seeing Blaine in his clothes (even if they were unfashionable and old).

Blaine tried to hide the hungry expression in his eyes at the sight of Kurt in coveralls. He knew Kurt could make pretty much any outfit in the world look good, but he hadn't been expecting _that_ : the way it fitted around his body, like wrapping paper, molding every curve, every muscle. "Would you like some bacon?" He asked, only because he couldn't think of anything else to say.

Burt laughed before Kurt had a chance to answer. "Kurt doesn't eat bacon. He doesn't eat any of the good food."

"What you call good food is what made you have a heart attack," Kurt eyed the plate as if it had personally offended him. "If that's what _good food_ does to you, I don't want to know what you consider to be _bad_."

Burt ignored him pointedly, joining both boys at the table and looking at Blaine. "Do you cook?"

"Not really. Just basic stuff, enough to survive, I guess," Blaine shrugged and chewed on a bit of bacon, a little bit self-consciously. "I do make a decent lasagna, though."

"Really? You said you eat only take out," Kurt quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Because I hardly ever have time to cook," Blaine answered. There was a pause and then he gathered the courage he needed to force the next words out of his mouth. "I could… I could cook for you someday, you know, for a change."

Kurt smiled. "I'd like that."

Burt hid his grin behind his cup of coffee but when a couple of minutes passed and Blaine and Kurt were still looking at each other with that almost sickening spark in their eyes, he cleared his throat and put his cup down, rather loudly. Blaine jumped a bit in his seat.

"We're leaving in five minutes, you two better finish your breakfast," he said, as he stood up and left the room, deciding to give them a bit of privacy.

Burt's shop was huge, Blaine discovered as soon as they got there, climbing out of Kurt's dad's truck. Five cars were parked inside and there still was room for maybe another five or six. There was an old wooden counter at the front, with a metallic displayer right behind it, where there were several bottles of lubricants and other products that Burt sold as an added service. A door on the left was, as Kurt pointed out on his tour, the office.

"I spent a lot of time there when I was a kid," Kurt told him, pushing the door open so Blaine could peek inside at the simple room, which contained a desk, a chair and a few cabinets where they probably kept all the important papers. "Especially when I was still too young to help my dad. He would bring me here after school and I'd do my homework or read or distract myself with coloring books."

Blaine let his eyes wander around the little office. It didn't have a window. It looked a bit sad, with its old paint on the walls and the creaky desk that was probably the same one on which Kurt had done all of those things. But still, Blaine could perfectly picture a little Kurt Hummel sitting there, tiny pink tongue poking out in between his lips in concentration as he gripped tightly a red pencil, trying to color without crossing the lines.

"So… ready to work on your first car?" Kurt said, snapping him out of it and Blaine straightened up, smiling and nodding enthusiastically.

Sometimes it was hard to concentrate as Kurt explained how to change the oil or how to maneuver a certain tool, because seeing Kurt there, in a place where he had never imagined this boy could belong, it was mesmerizing. Blaine was used to seeing him in the sweet surroundings of his bakery, not in a dirty, oil-smelly shop. The black stain on Kurt's cheek seemed completely out of place, almost an offense against the flawless pale skin, but at the same time, Blaine found it so adorable that he couldn't bring himself to let Kurt know about it so he could wipe it away.

Blaine felt a bit incredulous when he realized he was actually having fun. Working on cars had been one of the many options his father had tried on him to see if he could make Blaine more of a man. The car that Walter Anderson had bought him for his fourteenth birthday and that was pretty much garbage, but that Blaine had been supposed to work on so he could have it working by the time he could get his license, had remained untouched and ignored since the day he had gotten it. Blaine knew that if maybe his dad had shown some interest in helping him with it, he would've ended up working on the damn thing, but Walter's intention hadn't been to spend more time with him and bond, but to try to straight him up.

It was different with Kurt. Everything was. There wasn't any hidden meaning behind what they were doing. Kurt had genuinely wanted to share something with him, something that had always been part of his life. And Blaine loved it. He loved how he got to see so many different sides of Kurt, sides he hadn't even imagined could exist under the surface. But there they were, all exposed for him to see now, making him wonder if Kurt had any more secrets, any more things he's like to show Blaine in the future. Blaine was sure that there were.

Once Finn and some of the other employees arrived, the shop was buzzing with activity. No one seemed to mind Blaine's presence and most of them greeted Kurt with a huge smile because they had known him since he was a kid. Blaine wondered if any of them thought he was Kurt's boyfriend. If they did, they showed no sign of disapproval or disgust. Acceptance seemed to be as common as oxygen there and Blaine had to stop a second to process that.

Kurt was patient with him if he made a mistake and helped him realize what he was doing wrong. When Blaine discovered Kurt would put his hand on his to show him how to use a certain tool or how to feel his way into the different parts of the car, he made sure to mess up a few extra times just to feel the slide of skin against skin, the way Kurt leaned next to him, so close that he could feel his breath against his neck.

Burt glanced up from the hood of the car he had been examining and his eyes fell on the two boys two cars away from him, talking in whispers, as if showing Blaine how to do an oil change required Kurt to be as close as he was, as if it was a big secret no one else should hear, as if there was no way Blaine could do it without Kurt's hand on his, guiding him.

Finn stopped at his side, reading a form that contained information about a car that had arrived a few minutes ago. Before he could open his mouth to ask Burt whatever it was he had come to ask, Burt nudged him with his shoulder and nodded towards his son and his friend.

Finn followed his gaze and rolled his eyes. "I don't know what they are waiting for. They're so obviously crazy for each other it almost hurts to look at them."

"They're scared. Blaine hasn't had an easy life," Burt sighed.

His step-son shook his head. "How do they manage to make those puppy-dog eyes at each other while they're covered in grease in the middle of a tire shop? It's like they don't even remember they're here."

"I like Blaine," Burt said as an answer. He shrugged when Finn turned to look at him.

"I like him, too, but he needs to get his shit together," Finn muttered. When Kurt started laughing softly at whatever it was Blaine had just told him, his attention returned to the form he was holding. "Anyway, I need help with this."

When it was time for lunch, Burt drove to the nearest diner and bought food for the four of them. They sat together at the desk in the office, after dragging a few more chairs inside, and joked around as they devoured their burgers and fries (Kurt had a salad, thank you very much).

"You're doing great, kid," Burt patted Blaine's shoulder, who was sitting next to him, squeezed in between the older man and Kurt.

The absolutely amazed and happy expression in Blaine's hazel eyes at those words didn't go unnoticed by Kurt or Burt. Kurt smiled gratefully at his dad from beside Blaine, who immediately turned around to face him as if he couldn't believe what had just happened.

During the afternoon, Blaine alternated his time between helping Kurt and walking around the shop taking pictures of everything that caught his eye. Most of the time his camera ended up pointing towards Kurt, but it wasn't his fault, really. Kurt shouldn't have been allowed to look as beautiful as he did as he changed a tire or slid under the car to take a look at whatever he was looking at under there. None of the others guy did. Maybe it was a Kurt thing: maybe it was impossible for him to look unattractive even when doing things like those.

When it was closing time, the three of them piled in the truck again and went back to the Hummel household. Carole was there already, back from her shift at the hospital, and had brought a few movies they could all watch together and was already working on dinner. Kurt said he would shower and be back down to help her. Blaine followed him upstairs, thinking he should shower, too.

Saturday was almost over, he thought as he let the warm water fall over him. Kurt had mentioned something about going back to Columbus the next day right after lunch. He needed to be at the bakery to get things ready for Monday and though Blaine understood, he wasn't happy about it. The smile he had been wearing all day was washed away like the vestiges of soap on his skin. It wasn't as if he was saying goodbye to Kurt by going back to his dull apartment, the job he didn't feel passionate about and the family who didn't love him. He wasn't. There was no way he was letting Kurt slip away from his life any time soon, or ever, if he could help it. But the longer you live in a perfect fantasy world, the more you want to stay there, surrounded by the fairy tale you've been waiting for your entire life.

Robert was waiting for him in Finn's room when he got out of the shower. The dog wagged his tail at him, happy to see him. Blaine looked around, the sound of water running in the other bathroom somehow echoing across the upper floor, which meant Kurt was still in the shower.

He needed air. He needed to breathe before he returned to the cage his life had turned into.

"Come on, buddy," he said, and Robert followed him down the stairs. Blaine put on his coat, a blue beanie on his damp hair and a scarf before going outside to the backyard with his dog. Robert immediately started running around and barking at birds in the trees.

Blaine leaned down, grabbed a bit of snow, made a ball and threw it across the backyard. Robert chased it and sniffed the place where it landed. When he looked at him expectantly, Blaine did it again, throwing it at the opposite end of the backyard.

He imagined what it would be like if throwing away his worries and all of the things he hated about his life could be that easy. He imagined what it would be like if consequences could just melt into nothingness, just like snow.

Robert was bored after a while and stopped chasing the snowballs, but Blaine kept throwing them, maybe a little too hard, as if he couldn't stop. He was so lost in it, he didn't hear the door behind him until his favorite sound in the world filled his ears.

"What did the snow do to you to make you that mad?" Kurt asked and when Blaine turned around, he found him smiling playfully, but with a bit of concern hidden in his eyes. He had his coat on and his hair was perfectly styled, as if he was ready to go out instead of about to spend a night in with his family. He was breathtaking.

"Nothing, I was just… thinking," Blaine answered, letting go of the snow he had in his hands. It fell between his feet and he stepped on it to make it flat.

"Anything you want to talk about?" Kurt was close, but not close enough. He couldn't feel his warmth even if he could just reach out and pull him against his chest.

Blaine shrugged. "Not really. I was thinking about going back tomorrow and how I don't want this weekend to be over."

Kurt's smile was sweeter now. "Part of me wants to stay here, too. I love coming here… and I love that you're sharing it with me this time."

Kurt leaned against the wooden column on one side of the porch, Blaine leaned against the opposite one. They faced each other and it was as if nothing needed to be said. It was all there, in the air, in the snow, in their eyes.

"I have something for you," Kurt said at least, a note of eagerness and nerves to his voice that caused Blaine to tilt his head in curiosity. "I've… I've been waiting for the right moment to give it to you, but… I guess this one is just as good as any other."

He fished an envelope out of his coat's pocket and extended it to Blaine with a shaky hand. If it was because of the cold or because of what the envelope represented, Blaine didn't know.

"What is it?" He asked, because he couldn't help himself.

"I… I want to think it's not something silly. I want to think it's something good for you," Kurt said, hesitantly, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's… just open it."

So Blaine did. He opened it, extracted the paper inside and stared at it for what seemed a very long time. He could feel Kurt shifting on his feet in front of him, probably waiting for his reaction, but his brain had seemed to slow down.

"What…" He babbled.

"I know I should've asked you, but I thought you'd say no if I did," Kurt started saying, even more nervous. "I know you're free after six at the latest and I thought it would be perfect for you…"

"You…" Blaine glanced, perplexed, between Kurt and the paper still in his hands. "You signed me up for photography classes?"

"Yes," Kurt replied, and it was more a shivering hiss than a word. He took a deep breath. "Blaine, you deserve to be happy. I hate to know you're miserable, I hate to see you thinking you're not worth even a try at happiness." He looked at the paper Blaine was clutching as if it was a lifeline. "They are expecting a call from you. I didn't know how advanced you are or some of the personal information they asked me. I just thought you wouldn't do it for yourself."

"You… you're right. It wouldn't have even crossed my mind," Blaine whispered.

"So… will you at least consider it?" Kurt wanted to know, a tiny spark of hope in his tone. "I know this may not change everything, but… Blaine, you only have one life and you shouldn't hate living it. You deserve much more than you give yourself credit for…"

Blaine raised his eyes to him. The hazel was blurred by the tears pooling there. "Kurt…" was all he managed to say, his voice broken.

Kurt closed the distance between them before he even realized he was moving, and he threw his arms around Blaine to hold him close. Just the look on his face was enough to make Kurt want to cry, too, but he didn't. He wiped Blaine's tears away, gently. "You're wonderful, Blaine and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. Don't let anyone convince you that you're not this amazing, sweet, gorgeous man I see every time I look at you."

Blaine let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, his fingers digging into Kurt's back, the paper wrinkling slightly with the pressure. He moved forward, because he just couldn't stop himself anymore, but it was Kurt who actually closed the gap between them and crashed their lips together.

At first it was so overwhelming that neither of them knew exactly what to do. Their lips were dry and warm against each other and they seemed to ache now that they had finally met, as if it was too much, as if after all those times they had wanted to do this, nothing had ever really prepared them for the moment it actually happened. But then Kurt cupped Blaine's face in one of his hands and pushed a little, deepening the kiss, feeling Blaine responding under his mouth, tasting like coffee even though it had been hours since he'd had a cup. It was sweet and perfect in so many ways: how their lips slid together as if they had been doing this forever, how Blaine willingly received when Kurt pushed a little farther, how Kurt couldn't help but shift his hand to the back of Blaine's head and sneak it under the beanie to touch the still damp curls underneath.

Everything that needed to be, was there. The initial spark, the fireworks, the butterflies that seemed to be trying to move from Kurt to Blaine and from Blaine to Kurt as the kiss didn't die.

Eventually, breathing became essential again and they pulled away, slowly, keeping their eyes closed for a moment longer as if that way they could prolong it. Blaine rested his forehead against Kurt's and felt the other man's breath against his skin. His hands were shaking where he was clinging at Kurt's coat.

When their eyes opened, hazel stared right into blue, the intensity in each other's gazes making their hearts skip a few beats. And then Blaine leaned forward again, because this time he could, because the fear of Kurt pushing him away had vanished and seemed impossible now that he felt Kurt's arms wrapping around him and tugging him closer, as if their bodies weren't already glued together.

"Thank you," he whispered against his lips.

Kurt smiled, nuzzling his nose against Blaine's slightly stubbly cheek before pecking him on the mouth. "You're welcome." He placed a few more kisses, all quick and short on Blaine's lips, before sighing. "You do realize Carole, Finn and my dad are spying on us from the kitchen window, right?"

Blaine closed his eyes and moaned in embarrassment. "Oh God."

"It's okay," Kurt chuckled, not caring about the three people who obviously thought were really good at hiding behind the curtains. He kissed Blaine again. "They were all rooting for us."

A genuine, happy smile spread on Blaine's lips, and stayed there even as Kurt kissed him one more time.


	8. Chapter 8

Soft. Kurt's lips were so soft. They had felt like velvet against Blaine's and just the thought of them sent a shiver down his spine. Before they kissed, they had been a beautiful, pale shade of pink, but when they finally pulled away and went back inside, Kurt's family rushing away from the window to pretend they had been doing something else the entire time, they had been a delicious cherry red.

And Blaine just couldn't stop thinking about them.

Dinner with Burt, Carole and Finn had been a bit awkward, especially since the woman kept throwing knowing smiles at them and Finn kept his eyes on his plate the entire time. Burt was the only one who managed to act nonchalant. After dinner, Blaine and Kurt had offered to take care of the dishes and they made sure to brush their hands together as they passed each other plates and glasses. When Kurt finished washing, he wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist from behind, resting his head on his shoulder, staying there until Blaine was done drying.

Afterward, they had joined the rest of the family in the living room, where Finn was already popping the first movie into the DVD player. They squeezed onto the couch together and spent the next few hours stealing glances instead of actually watching the movie, until they were too tired to stay up any longer. Blaine and Kurt parted in front of their bedroom doors, sharing one last kiss goodnight.

Blaine remembered how he had felt that night, sleeping in a room so close to Kurt's, almost imagining he could hear the other man's heartbeat through the walls, wondering if Kurt was lying awake and looking at the ceiling with a smile like he was…

A loud thump from the stack of papers dropping in front of him on his desk startled Blaine out of his blissful daydreaming. He raised his eyes up to see his father standing in front of him, with the usual cold, unfriendly expression on his face, this time tainted with the glower he wore when he was particularly displeased with Blaine.

"Good morning, Dad," he said politely, as he usually did.

"Where were you this weekend?" Walter asked bluntly.

Blaine repressed a tired sigh. "I told you. A friend invited me for…"

"Bullshit. I know for a fact you don't have any friends," his father cut off, disparagingly.

"You don't have to believe me if you don't want to," Blaine shrugged and reached for the files his father had just dropped on his desk, but Walter put a hand on them to keep them in place.

"Your mother was awfully disappointed in your behavior," he informed him sharply.

 _When isn't she disappointed in my behavior?_ "I'm sure she was busy enough with her guests that she didn't even notice I wasn't there."

"Don't be such an insolent brat, Blaine!" Walter spat, angry.

Blaine forced himself to remain as calm as he could. He had already known he would be facing this even before he made it back to Columbus with Kurt the day before. There was no point in losing his temper. "Dad, can I ask you something?" He continued before his father could answer because he wasn't sure he would grant him permission. "Why do you and mom care about me being there so much if it's so clear you don't enjoy my company?"

Walter seemed a bit taken aback. Never had Blaine talked to him like that before in his life. His son had never questioned the way things were, as if he was supposed to know the reasons, as if he should be aware of how undeserving of his parents' love and approval he was.

"You know exactly why," he replied, looking down at him as if he were staring at a dirty homeless person who was trying to touch his expensive suit instead of his own son.

Blaine hated himself for letting those words twist painfully inside of him. He hated himself for noticing Walter hadn't corrected him, hadn't said they did enjoy his company, hadn't even tried to reassure him in any way…

_Why do I even bother?_

He thought back to the day before. He remembered how Carole had held him so tightly when they said goodbye after lunch. How Burt had squeezed his shoulder with a warm smile and said "You're welcome here any time, son, I hope you come back and visit us again soon."

"Well, then," Blaine did his best to hide the bitterness in his voice. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to keep up appearances with the rest of the family and all of your friends, or to take the blame for whatever went wrong, but for once in my life I had a real Thanksgiving holiday and had a nice time."

Walter stared at him like he wanted to say something else and, knowing his father, Blaine was sure it would be something hurtful. He held his breath, ready for the blow.

But then there was a knock on the door and, before any of them could say anything, Lucy, Blaine's secretary, was peeking inside.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here, Mr. Anderson," Lucy said, clearly intimidated, looking at Blaine's father.

"I was just leaving," Walter pushed the stack of files towards Blaine disdainfully. "You'd better get those ready by tomorrow morning."

Without another word, Walter walked away, causing Lucy to almost jump three feet in the air to get out of his way. Blaine closed his eyes for a moment, trying to relax, trying to push away the sickening sensation that always seemed to take over his stomach after a conversation with his father.

"Uhm," Lucy mumbled, hesitantly. "I was going to remind you about your meeting with Mr. Smith. It's scheduled in twenty minutes, sir."

"Thank you, Lucy," he said softly.

"Would you like me to order lunch for you for when the meeting is over?" She asked in a gentle tone.

Blaine didn't even need to think about it. "No, thank you. I'm going out for lunch."

To look into Kurt's eyes for just a few minutes would help, he knew. Just five minutes lost in those pools of deep blue, green and gray were enough to wash away any distress. It was scary how much he needed the other man.

He started getting ready for his meeting. He just needed the time to go by faster.

* * *

It was wonderful seeing Kurt's face light up when Blaine got to the bakery later that day. Blaine had ended up being engaged in meeting after meeting and hadn't been able to go over for lunch as he had wanted to. It was now a little after six, the bakery had just closed its doors to the public, and it was just the two of them. Exactly what Blaine needed.

He was in a terrible mood. It had been a dark cloud hanging over his head all day. Walter had found several moments along the day to throw nasty comments at him, denigrate his work and look at him as he always did, with the disgust always a constant in his eyes. Blaine was _so_ tired of it.

"Hey," Kurt walked from behind the counter as Blaine locked the glass door with the sign already turned to _closed_.

"Hi," Blaine said in a small voice and, before either of them could say anything else, he stopped in front of Kurt and practically collapsed against him, letting his head drop on his shoulder.

Kurt chuckled softly and wrapped his arms around him as Blaine's hung limply at his sides. "Bad day?"

"Can I go back to Lima and live with your parents?" Blaine asked, his voice muffled against the crook of Kurt's shoulder.

"I actually think Carole would really like that," Kurt teased. He stroked the back of Blaine's neck and sighed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

" _Blaine_ …"

"My dad," Blaine admitted, pulling away to look into Kurt's eyes as he had been waiting to do all day.

"What did he do now?" Kurt tugged a curl that had fallen onto Blaine's forehead back into its prison of gel.

"The same as he always does," he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Can we please talk about something else? How was your day?"

"Busy," Kurt walked away and Blaine instantly missed his warmth. "One would think that after Thanksgiving people would try to eat less, but there was actually a moment when I thought I would have to sneak back into the kitchen and get some emergency baking done."

"Well, that's good, right?" Blaine said, taking his coat off and hanging it on the back of a chair.

"Of course," Kurt nodded with a little smile. "It's just that now I have even more to do for tomorrow than I thought I would."

"Oh," Blaine looked around, suddenly feeling awkward and insecure. "Do you, uhm, want me to go?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and closed the distance between them again as he put on an adorable apron on. "No, Blaine, I don't want you to go."

"Are you sure? Because if you need to…" Blaine's words were cut off when Kurt pressed his lips against his, effectively silencing him. It was quick and chaste, but it had the desired effect, because when Kurt pulled away and looked at him, Blaine blinked numbly for a few seconds.

"Blaine, would you stay with me and keep me company while I work? I promise we can have dinner together later and maybe watch a movie during which I most certainly will fall asleep on you," Kurt said solemnly, a playful twinkle in his eyes.

Blaine couldn't stop himself from smiling. He rarely could around Kurt. "Of course I'll stay."

"Good," he kissed his cheek before letting go and walking into the kitchen, followed closely by Blaine. He started gathering different ingredients from the cupboards and the fridge and Blaine sat on a stool by the end of the counter.

Soon, Blaine got lost in the incessant, melodic and soothing sound of Kurt's voice as he chatted animatedly while he mixed the ingredients for cupcakes. It was a very welcome change after listening to his father's cold, reprehensive tone all day.

And, God, why did he even care? He was so stupid. He had already known what to expect when he got to the office that morning, he had already prepared himself for it the previous night. What was he waiting for Walter to say? That his mother and he had wanted Blaine to spend Thanksgiving with them because they loved him? That was bullshit. His mother hadn't said the word love in front of him since he was in elementary school and his father hadn't done it then, before he really became the disappointment he was now, before he had even given him any reason to hate him…

"Blaine?" Suddenly, Kurt's fingers were right there, tracing the outline of his jaw delicately, trying to get his attention. Blaine wondered how he had missed Kurt moving closer to him.

"Yeah?" He asked rather dumbly.

"You completely zoned out," Kurt said. Blaine got lost in his eyes for a moment, just letting Kurt's fingertips tickle his skin as he looked at him. "Are you sure you don't want to talk?"

"I'd prefer to hear _you_ talk," Blaine unconsciously nuzzled against Kurt's hand, sighing.

"But I don't think I'm interesting enough because you weren't even listening," Kurt smiled at him.

"I'm sorry," he frowned, feeling pretty guilty.

"Don't be," Kurt's fingers moved back to the curls at the base of his hairline. "I was rambling. And I'd really like to know if there's any way I could help you."

"You already are," Blaine tilted his head back, half to look Kurt in the eyes and half to get his fingers buried deeper in his hair. He let out a long breath, tired, and surrendered. "My dad asked me about Thanksgiving today and I just… I was stupid enough to ask him why he and my mom wanted me there if it's so obvious they don't like to have me around." Blaine swallowed, focused on the touch of Kurt's fingers instead of the pain settling in his chest. "And he only said that I know why. He didn't…" Blaine growled in frustration, covering his face with his hands. "I don't know what I was expecting. I don't know why I still expect anything different anymore."

"Because you were still hoping your dad wasn't such an asshole," Kurt answered a bit harshly. Blaine looked up at him. "And I'm sorry for saying it, Blaine, but he is. He shouldn't make you feel bad. He's not worth it."

Blaine was silent for a while, just feeling Kurt's fingers in his hair and trying to get rid of the fury and hurt building inside of him. It all seemed to disappear when Kurt leaned in and kissed the tip of his nose. The smile spread on his lips, lazily, before he even registered what he was doing.

"So… have you ever made cupcakes?" Kurt asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No," Blaine said simply.

"Well, you're about to," Kurt tugged at his hand to make him stand up and guided him towards the counter where the cupcakes were halfway done. "The sooner I finish here, the sooner we can go upstairs to my apartment and have dinner, so come on, let's get to work."

"Am I your employee now? Are you going to pay me for my services?" Blaine bit his lip as Kurt grabbed another apron from behind the door and put it on him.

"Only with more food," Kurt nudged him to turn around so he could tie the apron behind his back. "Ready, now, the first thing you need to know about cupcakes is that you only have to fill the cupcake liners halfway, or it will be a disaster once they start rising in the oven…"

Yeah, his father was an asshole and his entire life had been nothing but pathetic, lonely and miserable. But whatever power had put Kurt in his path was definitely forgiven for every little thing that had sucked before, because these moments, when there was nothing to worry about except making the cupcakes look perfect and not ruining the icing, were more than enough compensation for it.

* * *

Kurt relaxed against the back of the couch, Robert's head on his lap, as he distractedly changed the channels on Blaine's huge television. There wasn't anything he was particularly interested in watching. He just wanted to kill some time until Blaine returned from his first photography class.

He thought back to the call he had received from Blaine earlier, right after he left the office and how excited he had sounded and maybe a little nervous, too. He wasn't used to doing things for himself, so Kurt could understand where his anxiety came from. Blaine's actions were always for someone else's purposes, but right now he was taking a step to be a little happier, and it felt strange to him.

Kurt hoped he would never stop taking those steps.

He had promised Blaine he would be waiting for him at his apartment when he came back, so there Kurt was sprawled on the comfortable leather couch, an empty cup of tea on the coffee table, his shoes forgotten on the carpet as he wiggled his toes inside his socks as if it was the biggest pleasure life could offer him. And Kurt had to admit that, right then, right there, he felt life was pretty damn good to him.

Blaine and he hadn't yet discussed what kind of relationship they had. They had kissed several times, they were definitely way more affectionate with each other than they had been before and there was a sense of intimacy floating in the air that Kurt had never experienced with anyone else. One thing he was sure of, and he knew Blaine would agree with him: the word _friends_ wasn't enough to describe what they had anymore.

Kurt couldn't tell if Blaine was ready to jump into a real, serious relationship. He was wounded, he was scared, he had dealt with a lot. He didn't even know how to be comfortable with himself, so Kurt doubted he had ever had a relationship with someone like the one Kurt really wanted to have with him. Hell, not even Kurt had been with anyone in the way he wanted to be with Blaine.

He was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of the front door. Robert jumped up to go greet Blaine, who was coming in with his briefcase and a bag from the Chinese place around the corner.

"Hey!" Kurt looked at him with a lazy smile without moving. He'd had a really long day at the bakery, too, and getting up sounded a lot harder than he would've admitted.

"Hi, Kurt. I've brought dinner," Blaine dropped his briefcase, his coat and his scarf in the closet by the door before going towards the living room, putting the bag on the coffee table and leaning in to give Kurt a peck on the lips.

"How was your first day?" Kurt asked eagerly.

Blaine's eyes were shining. He grinned, enthusiasm flowing from him in waves that enveloped Kurt like a warm hug. "It was amazing. Let me go wash my hands and I'll tell you about it while we eat, okay?"

Kurt reached out and placed his hand on the back of Blaine's neck, his fingers slowly burying in the dark curls. He brought him down once again. "Okay," he whispered against his lips and then he kissed him as he had been longing to do all day.

Blaine felt a bit dizzy when they pulled away, realizing he had forgotten how to breathe. Kurt laughed at him and pushed him playfully in the general direction of the bathroom.

Kurt got up, went to the kitchen and grabbed two glasses from the cupboard before picking up a bottle of wine from the many Blaine had in the pantry. He placed them on the coffee table, deciding they could have a casual dinner on the couch instead of moving to the dining room, and started getting the little white boxes out of the bag.

Blaine came back five minutes later. He had changed his clothes and was now wearing loose sweatpants and a green hoodie, barefoot. His hair was damp and his curls free, so Kurt assumed he had taken a quick shower to wash out the exhaustion that the long day had left behind.

"I picked out one of your bottles of wine. Is that okay?" He asked before uncorking it.

"Of course, yeah," Blaine dropped down on the couch next to him with a contented sigh. "Have you been here for long?"

"A little over half an hour, maybe," Kurt answered as he poured the red liquid in the glasses. "I had to finish a few things at the bakery first."

"So you don't have to rush out of here before midnight like a baking Cinderella to finish any work?" Blaine said, scooting closer.

"No," Kurt laughed. "But you're ridiculous."

"I have my moments," Blaine shrugged. He looked at the boxes Kurt was currently opening. "I didn't know what you liked so I bought a bit of everything."

"For future reference, I love spring rolls and Lo Mien," Kurt said as he picked up a box with spring rolls in it and unwrapped a pair of chopsticks.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Good. Now, tell me about your class," sitting back on the couch, Kurt faced Blaine, who had just opened a box with Mu Shu Pork, showing him he had all of his attention.

Blaine smiled the entire time it took him to tell Kurt everything about his class. He told him about the professor, an old woman that had worked for the National Geographic magazine ( _"Just like Robert Kincaid, Kurt! Isn't that awesome?"_ ). She had talked about lighting techniques and the difference between the lenses and the cameras they could use for a particular picture. She had recommended to Blaine a few textbooks he could read to catch up with the rest of the class and he had bought them as soon as the class was finished, running to the nearest bookstore. He showed them to Kurt, flipping the pages carefully, stopping to point out the things he was most excited about. Kurt loved every second as he watched Blaine talk and how his eyes lit up with every word he said. It was like taking a poor boy who had never had a Christmas present before into a toy store and telling him he could pick any toy he wanted.

"So you enjoyed it, then?" Kurt bit his lip, unable to contain the joy he felt at knowing he had made the right choice by signing Blaine up for the class.

"Are you kidding me? I loved it!" Blaine said, genuinely happy. "I couldn't thank you enough for doing that, Kurt…"

"And I don't want you to," Kurt put his food down and took Blaine's hand in his. "I just want you to be happy."

Blaine's response was to lean in closer and kiss him. They forgot about dinner for a few minutes as they let their lips explore and caress slowly. Their kisses were getting more and more interesting every day. It was as if they were moving past the awkwardness of the first kiss and getting ready to be a lot more free around each other, to let the other simply become acquainted with how their mouths could work together, to take and to give and to learn.

Kurt finished the kiss with a wet, popping noise and drooped back against the couch, a lazy smile spreading on his face. Blaine cleared his throat and took a sip of wine. His cheeks were flushed, if because of the alcohol or the kiss, Kurt couldn't say.

"Can I ask you something?" Kurt said suddenly, not even realizing he was talking until Blaine looked at him, curiously.

"Of course," he nodded.

"Uhm," Kurt shifted in his seat, playing a bit anxiously with the hem of his sweater. "I was wondering if you would tell me about… about your past relationships."

Blaine had been in the process of taking a bite of his pork, but stopped halfway, dropping the sticks and the food back into the white box. He set it down on the table, gently. "Relationships?"

"Oh, God, I'm sorry," Kurt closed his eyes, mentally kicking himself. "It isn't my place to ask that and you definitely don't have to…"

"Hey, don't, it's fine," Blaine smiled at him weakly, putting a hand on his knee. "I don't mind you asking. It's just… there's not much to tell."

Kurt decided to drink some wine instead of asking more questions, giving Blaine time to talk if he wanted to, or to change the subject if he preferred.

"I… there was a guy," Blaine's eyes were fixed on the carpet, as if he couldn't think of anything more interesting to stare at in the world. "My freshman year of college. I was drunk, I was upset because of… well, because of _life_ , really," he shrugged as if it wasn't important. "My roommate dragged me to a party he was going to. He told me it would make me feel better and he gave me a beer. I had a few beers and then maybe I did some shots…" He swallowed. Kurt didn't know if he should reach for his hand or give him space. "I can't really remember much. All I know is I woke up in a room that wasn't mine, with a guy I didn't even know…" There was a pause and then Blaine sighed in frustration. "I'm sorry. That's not what you asked. You wanted to know if I've ever had a boyfriend and I basically ended up telling you I slept with a random stranger who didn't even tell me his name. Gosh, I'm so embarrassed right now…"

"Blaine…" Kurt moved closer, placing a hand on his leg and squeezing in what he hoped it was a comforting manner. "You don't have to be embarrassed. It happens. It's part of life. People make mistakes. Maybe it wasn't the ideal thing to do but… it's okay. It doesn't change the way I see you."

"Kurt," Blaine shook his head, "I'm twenty five years old and I've never had a boyfriend. I couldn't. I was too scared of what would happen if my parents found out and later I didn't have the time because Harvard was so demanding and I pretty much lived in the library. And then I was out of college and back in Ohio and this isn't exactly a town where you meet guys like us every day. And even if I did meet a few, casually, as a coincidence… I just…"

"What is it?" Kurt asked softly, smiling at him encouragingly.

"How am I supposed to find someone who wants to deal with all the crap in my life? How am I supposed to give a guy what he deserves if I'm still terrified of what my father will think as if I was still fifteen?" He stood up, Kurt's hand falling to the couch, his hazel eyes filled with so much self-hatred that Kurt could barely stand to look at him without his heart squirming in pain. "I'm full of flaws, Kurt. I'm nothing but flaws."

Kurt could feel the tears coming down his cheeks. He shook his head, stubbornly. "No, you're not," he stood up, too, putting his hands on Blaine's shoulders.

Blaine brushed them off. "Kurt, I…"

"No," Kurt sighed and covered Blaine's mouth with his hand. "I'm sorry I brought this up and ruined everything when you were so happy. I'm sorry your dad is a douchebag who convinced you that you're not the wonderful man you really are and I'm sorry you can't see that." When he realized Blaine had stopped trying to break free from his hand, he let it fall, knowing he wouldn't put up any more resistance. "And to answer your question, Blaine, I want to deal with all the crap in your life. Because I know there's more than that, because I see through it and because you're worth it."

He kissed him. He let his lips communicate what he couldn't put into words, soft, tender, slow caresses over Blaine's, until he felt the other man relaxing in his arms. He buried his hands in his curly hair, scratching lightly at his scalp with his nails, just enough to make Blaine melt against him.

"Please don't ever say anything like that about yourself ever again," Kurt whispered, his mouth ghosting over Blaine's. "It breaks my heart to hear you believe such lies."

Blaine nuzzled against his neck, tightening his grip around Kurt's waist.

"Blaine, please, promise me…" Kurt insisted, his voice breaking a bit and causing Blaine to look up at him.

"I promise," he said, nodding eagerly. "I don't want to break your heart in any way, Kurt, so I promise."

They sat, holding each other, saying nothing for a few minutes. The only sound breaking the silence that enveloped the apartment was from the random kisses they shared every now and then or the sighs escaping from their lips when it was all too good, too warm, too beautiful.

Blaine had just reached for his glass of wine again when Kurt spoke up.

"I dated a couple of guys," he said, quietly. "I didn't really love any of them. I met the first one during the summer before my sophomore year at college, when I visited my friend Rachel in New York. They shared a class, I thought he was cute. He was the first guy who showed any interest in me, so we had what you could call a summer fling… when it was time for school, I came back here, he stayed there and nobody's heart was broken, nobody felt bad for saying goodbye."

Blaine was silent, drinking his wine with an arm around him and Kurt hoped he wasn't saying anything that would make him feel uncomfortable. But he felt he needed to share this with Blaine, he needed Blaine to know more about him.

"And the second one…" Kurt bit his lip. "Please, don't judge me."

"I'd never judge you, Kurt," Blaine pressed his lips to the top of Kurt's head and let them linger there.

"The second one was one of my teachers. He was French. He actually taught the French cuisine class, and I was sort of infatuated with how exotic he looked among all the ordinary people from Ohio that I was so used to seeing…" Kurt sighed. "He was really attractive and when he noticed how I felt about him, he asked me to stay after class to discuss something about one of my grades but we, uhm… we ended up kissing and then we went to his house."

"So you had an affair? You weren't in love with him?" Blaine asked.

"No, I wasn't. I guess that's what it was, although it sounds so sordid when you put it that way," Kurt answered thoughtfully. "I think he actually felt the same way I did, just like you said: it's not easy to find people to date in Ohio. We were lonely. We sort of liked each other, so we went for it."

"You never got in trouble because of that?" Blaine's fingers were tracing circles on the sensitive skin of Kurt's forearm, causing him to shiver.

"No, nobody caught us. We got bored after a while and finished it," Kurt scooted closer to Blaine. "I've never had a boyfriend, either, Blaine, I just had meaningless relationships to pretend I wasn't alone…"

"I…" Blaine felt himself choking up with his own words. He wasn't sure he could really say what he wanted to say, but he needed to try. "I… I really, really want to be with you, Kurt…"

Kurt lifted up his head from where he had been resting it on Blaine's shoulder and gave him a radiant smile.

"I'm just… I'm not sure if I can make you as happy as I know you'd make me…" Blaine frowned, obviously battling internally with himself.

Kurt placed a hand on his cheek and tilted his head so they were staring at each other. "That's silly. You're doing a pretty good job already."

Blaine's smile was so wide, so happy, so bright, that Kurt almost felt bad when he kissed it away.


	9. Chapter 9

Kurt had just flipped the sign on the door to 'Open' and returned to the counter to tidy up when the first customer came in. it was a woman, probably in her forties. Her hair was elegantly tied up in a bow and she had the classic appearance of a secretary. She was probably there for her morning caffeine fix, Kurt decided.

"Good morning," Kurt greeted her with his best smile.

"Good morning," she said politely, standing in front of him. "I would like to order a cake for tomorrow."

"Of course," Kurt looked for a notepad in one of the drawers. "What kind of cake would you like?"

"Well, I'm not really sure. It's for my boss, it's his birthday," the woman answered.

"Oh, so do you need a big cake? Like for an office party or something like that?" Kurt asked, pen ready to start taking notes.

"No, not at all. Just a small cake, we're not having a party, but I thought it would be nice for him to have at least a cake," she looked thoughtful. "I remembered one of the secretaries ordered a cake for her boss not too long ago, and it was delicious, so I asked her where she got it."

"What flavor do you think your boss would prefer?" Kurt inquired.

"I think something classic would be okay. He doesn't really talk much, so I don't know what he likes," the woman moved to take a look at the cakes Kurt had placed in the displayer earlier. "Maybe vanilla, with chocolate icing?"

Kurt wrote that down before he started to list all the possible fillings she could choose from. "Do you want me to put candles on it or are you going to take care of that yourself?"

"It would be great if you could do it for me," she smiled gently. "And could you maybe write something on it?"

"Like happy birthday?" Kurt wanted to know, scribbling down more notes.

"Happy Birthday, Mr. Anderson would be nice, more personal," she said after a pause.

Kurt looked up at her with wide eyes. "Mr. Anderson?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Anderson as in… Blaine Anderson?" Kurt blinked in confusion. She frowned before nodding once again. "Blaine's birthday is tomorrow?"

"Do you know Mr. Anderson?" The woman tilted her head to the side, looking at Kurt with far more interest.

"I… yeah, I do," Kurt stared down at what he had just written down. "But he didn't tell me it was his birthday."

"I only know because I was going through some files he needed me to work on and some of his personal information was in there," she explained. Then, she extended a hand towards Kurt. "I'm Lucy, Mr. Anderson's secretary."

"Kurt, I'm his… friend," he replied, shaking it, knowing it was better not to tell anyone from Blaine's office what kind of relationship they really had. Lucy seemed a bit shocked, as if she couldn't believe Blaine had friends. "I can't believe he didn't mention it."

"Well, Mr. Anderson is really reserved, I'm not really surprised. I've worked for him for almost two years and I still don't know much about him."

"I know, it's a lot of work to get him to talk…" Kurt sighed, leaning against the counter. He observed the woman standing in front of him for a few seconds. "It's really kind of you to make sure he at least has something nice for his birthday."

"It's the least I can do," Lucy shrugged. "I feel bad for him, every day, and I wish I could do more. People at the office don't really… _appreciate_ him, I guess."

Kurt couldn't say he was surprised to know that. He felt a pang in his chest, indignation and hurt mixing together. Blaine was a wonderful human being. He didn't deserve to be slighted like that. "Well, they should. He's wonderful," he said through gritted teeth.

"He's a very good boss. I'm very lucky to work for him," Lucy glanced at the clock behind the counter. "I should get going. Will the cake be ready by the time I come back tomorrow morning?"

"Of course it will," Kurt smiled at her. "And I know exactly what Blaine likes, so I can make something special for him if you want me to…"

"That would be amazing," Lucy patted his hand, warmly. "Thank you, Kurt."

"Thank _you_ , Lucy," Kurt said and watched her leave.

The wheels in his brain were already spinning before she even had time to close the door behind her.

* * *

Blaine rubbed at his tired eyes and checked the hour on his cellphone. It was late, later than he usually left the office lately, but he wasn't exactly anxious to go back to his apartment. He wasn't seeing Kurt today since he had received a very large order for the next day and needed to pick up some extra ingredients. Blaine had asked if he wanted him to come over and help him, but Kurt had declined, saying he would finish sooner if he wasn't distracted and that they could see each other the next day. That would be Saturday, after all, so Blaine would be able to spend the entire day behind the counter with Kurt, if he chose.

Blaine had said nothing. He had merely nodded and kissed his cheek, promising to be there the next day and then he had crossed the street back to his office. He hadn't told Kurt that he had been secretly looking forward to being with him that day, even though Kurt didn't know why. He hadn't mentioned that for once he had imagined a birthday where he would end up wishing he hadn't been born, or where he actually felt a bit of bliss instead of the crushing loneliness he felt most of the time. There was no point in saying that. Kurt was busy and he didn't want to make him feel bad or force him to cancel his plans. Kurt had work to do and Blaine was a grown up very well used to skipping his birthdays, so no damage was done.

Or so he assured to himself.

He closed his laptop, gathered his stuff and decided that staying at work was even worse than going home. Maybe he could at least take Robert for a walk and stop somewhere to grab a bite. The rest of his night was probably going to include going through a few files he needed to read for a meeting he had on Monday, but even though that didn't sound exciting, it would be better to get it over with so he could try and spend as much time with Kurt as he could without worrying about the office for the rest of the weekend.

Lucy was still there, also getting ready to leave, searching through the contents of her purse for something. He stood in front of her desk, somewhat awkwardly.

"Lucy, I…" he cleared his throat and she looked at him. "Thank you," he put his briefcase down for a moment and rounded the desk to give her a quick hug. "You didn't have to bring a cake or anything. It was very nice of you."

"I'm glad you liked it, Mr. Anderson," she answered with a warm smile. "I just thought you deserved a little something."

Blaine nodded, hoping she wouldn't notice he was truly touched by the gesture. "I'll make sure to remember your birthday."

"That's not necessary," Lucy laughed. "Have a nice weekend, Mr. Anderson. And happy birthday."

"Thanks, you have a nice weekend, too," and with a final wave, Blaine turned towards the elevators.

Lucy had been the only one to acknowledge his birthday. His dad, of course, had forgotten or ignored it as he did every year. He wasn't really close to anyone else in the firm and Lucy had confessed to finding out about it by accident. Blaine was grateful nonetheless. It was nice to feel every now and then that he wasn't completely invisible. No one really cared about him and if they showed him any respect it was only because he was the boss' son, but as Walter Anderson didn't exactly treat him like a person, most of the people there didn't, either.

Blaine left the building and stood watching the darkened bakery across the street with a heavy feeling in his chest. It was weird seeing it like that. Lately, Kurt had always been there waiting for him. Blaine was already accustomed to opening the glass door and inhaling the deep, wonderful smell of coffee and baked goods and being greeted by Kurt's brilliant smile. Knowing he wasn't going to see him, even if it was for just one night, caused him to sigh, suddenly saddened. He walked to his car, wishing he didn't have to go to his empty apartment.

Feeling a bit despondent, he decided to stay in with Robert, order food and put on some sweatpants. Going out would require too much effort.

He pushed any thoughts related to his birthday and Kurt's absence to the back of his mind as he drove and instead, went through the list of things he needed to get done for a few of his cases. The paperwork was endless and tedious, but safe. It was something redundant that he could hide behind, something that didn't hurt or disappoint in any way, something that had nothing to do with him, so it couldn't really make him feel bad for anything.

He was considering taking a long shower before pulling the laptop out of his briefcase and starting to work while he waited for whatever he decided to order to get there as he exited from the elevator on his floor. Pizza sounded like a good idea and he was sure he still had at least one bottle of beer left in the fridge…

The first sign that something was wrong came when he opened the door and Robert didn't run to him to greet him with his tail wagging frantically like he usually did every day. The second sign was the quiet whispers that seemed to come from somewhere in the apartment.

 _Great, now I'm being robbed_ , Blaine thought bitterly, fishing his cellphone out of his pocket and dialing 911, his finger lingering on the green button ready to make the call as he moved carefully to investigate and hoping no one had hurt Robert.

He definitely wasn't expecting to enter the kitchen and find Carole Hudson Hummel searching through the silverware drawer.

"I…" Blaine stopped in his tracks, wondering if he was hallucinating.

"Blaine, dear!" Carole exclaimed, turning to him and smiling so wide Blaine was afraid her face would split in two. "You're home!"

"Uhm… yeah, I'm home," he said awkwardly, patting her back because he didn't know what else to do when she hugged him tightly.

"Blaine!"

Blaine glanced over Carole's shoulder just in time to see Kurt coming into the kitchen, smiling, wearing a gray sweater that looked so good on him that Blaine wanted to stare at him forever.

"Kurt?" He asked in confusion. "What's going on here?"

"We're here to celebrate your birthday, silly," Kurt replied, tilting his head to the side, as if it were obvious. Blaine blinked dumbly at him. "Of course, what else?" And he leaned in to kiss his cheek affectionately.

"How… how do you…?" Blaine mumbled, still not understanding exactly what was going on. Burt walked in, too, followed by Robert. "Mr. Hummel?"

"Hey, kiddo, happy birthday," Burt squeezed his shoulder and then laughed at Blaine's dazed expression. "Kurt, I think this wasn't a good idea. We broke him."

Kurt rolled his eyes at his father and grabbed Blaine's hand. "Blaine, sweetie, are you okay with this? I just wanted to surprise you."

Carole started pushing Burt back into the dining room to give Blaine and Kurt a moment alone. Robert followed happily.

Kurt studied Blaine's face attentively, a worried expression in his eyes. "Blaine? Should I have asked you before doing this? Don't you like it? Do you want us to leave?"

That last part got Blaine's attention. "No! No, no, please don't leave…" He gulped. "I… how did you know?"

Kurt's smile turned mischievous. "Well… it was a coincidence, really. Your secretary…"

"Oh, God, you made the cake, didn't you? I knew it. It was way too good," Blaine said thoughtfully.

"Yes," Kurt's fingers brushed the outline of Blaine's jaw. "Blaine… I know you're used to doing things on your own or whatever but… please, don't shut me down."

"I didn't mean to shut you down," Blaine replied, cupping Kurt's face in his hands. "Really. I didn't think it was important. It's just a birthday."

Kurt looked really sad at his words, though Blaine couldn't exactly understand why. He just knew he didn't like to see it in this beautiful man's gaze, so he did the only thing he could think of to erase it. He moved forward slowly and kissed him.

Kurt responded to the kiss immediately, throwing his arms around Blaine's neck, sighing into it in what seemed to be relief and contentment. After they pulled away, Kurt nuzzled against his cheek, his lips very closed to his ear. "Happy birthday, Blaine."

Blaine smiled, tightening his arms around his waist. "Thank you, Kurt."

"You're welcome," with one last kiss to Blaine's cheek, Kurt untangled himself from his arms. "Now, we didn't have time to cook, so we just ordered a couple of pizzas."

"It's like you've read my mind," Blaine said, his mood already a lot lighter than it had been all day.

"It should be here in about ten minutes," Kurt turned to the counter and grabbed a few napkins to take to the table.

"What can I do to help?" Blaine asked, eagerly, looking around, feeling almost out of place in his own kitchen.

"Nothing, honey, today you just have to relax and have a good time."

Blaine wanted to protest, but decided against it because Kurt looked so _happy_. It was obvious he was excited about being there and surprising Blaine and even though he felt weird, Blaine didn't want to ruin that.

And he had to admit he loved the way his heart was beating inside his chest, so overwhelmingly wild and full of joy.

Carole hugged him again as soon as he stepped into the dining room. "I'm so happy to see you again, Blaine."

"I'm really happy to see you, too, Carole," he said, this time returning the hug. "Thank you for coming here and surprising me."

"No need to thank us," she answered, with a vague gesture of her hand.

"Finn wanted to come, too, but someone had to stay at the garage," Burt said from his place at the table. Robert was sitting at his feet, his head on the man's knee.

"How are things going at the garage?" Blaine asked, still a bit unsure on how to act. His apartment had never been so crowded before.

"Really good," Burt nodded, clearly pleased. "Finn is doing a great job and we always have a lot of work during the winter. People want to make sure their cars are in good condition to avoid accidents."

"Here," Carole said, pushing Blaine gently down into a chair and giving him a package wrapped in bright paper with a big bow on it. "I hope you like it."

Blaine stared down at gift with wide eyes. "I… Carole, I can't accept this."

"Of course you can, it's nothing fancy," Carole shrugged as she tried to force him to take the present. "Come on, open it!"

Blaine took it with slightly shaking hands and unwrapped it, carefully, as if he was afraid he would damage whatever it was inside. He extracted the thick, beautiful red sweater and let his fingers trace the wool. "This is amazing, thank you so much."

"Kurt approved of it, so I think I made a good choice," Carole smiled at him. "We can still exchange it if you don't like it. I would've bought something different if I had known it was your birthday earlier. Kurt just let us know this morning."

"I… you really shouldn't have. It wasn't necessary at all," he hugged the sweater to his chest, almost without noticing what he was doing, before standing up again and hugging Carole. He extended his hand towards Burt, thinking a hug could maybe be too much for the man, but he stood up and hugged Blaine nevertheless. Kurt was leaning against the doorway, smiling. Blaine turned to him. "You shouldn't have called your parents and made them come all the way here just for this."

"I didn't tell them to come," Kurt answered, taking a few steps closer to Blaine. He held the sweater up to make sure the size was right. "I was simply talking to my dad like I do almost every day and when I mentioned it was your birthday, they insisted on coming to see you."

"We wouldn't have missed it for the world," Carole assured him.

"Thank you so much, guys," Blaine said, looking around the room at the other three people there with him, feeling a lump in his throat and forcing himself to not get too emotional.

"You're welcome," Kurt kissed his cheek, apparently satisfied with the sweater, and put it down. "My present is delayed, I'm afraid. I didn't have enough time, but I'm sure I'll have it by the weekend."

Blaine wrapped his arm around Kurt's waist and tugged him a little closer, for once not caring who was looking at them, because he just loved this man so much he couldn't help himself anymore. "I don't need any more presents. This is beyond perfect already," and then he gave him a peck on the lips, ignoring the way Carole and Burt exchanged a glance, the woman biting her lip to stop from squealing in excitement.

Once the pizza was there, they sat together to eat and chat. Blaine was mainly silent, enjoying the happy buzzing of conversation around him. His apartment had never been more alive. It was amazing to hear other voices echoing against the walls instead of only his own or Robert's.

Kurt had made a cake for him (of course). It was the same red velvet one he had tried one of the first times he had visited at the bakery and Blaine smiled at him as Kurt lit the candle on top of it. Kurt had just leaned closer to him to sing the happy birthday melody right into Blaine's ear when the sound of the front door slamming startled everyone. Blaine's eyebrows shot up his forehead and he stood to see what the hell was going on.

He didn't need to go far, though, because he almost collided with his father when he entered the doorway that lead into the dining room. Walter Anderson's eyes, though so similar to Blaine's, narrowed as he took in the sight of the room and the people in it, half incredulous, half furious.

"Dad…" Blaine said, a heavy feeling setting over him. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you about something," he replied coldly. "I didn't know you had company…"

"Yeah, I…" Blaine turned around, unsure, to glance at the Hummels. He took a deep breath. "Dad, this is Burt Hummel and his wife, Carole. Mr. and Mrs. Hummel, this is my father, Walter Anderson," he introduced him, awkwardly.

Burt stood up from his place at the table and extended a hand towards Blaine's dad, politely. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Anderson."

"Hummel," Walter nodded in what could've been an equally polite greeting if it weren't because he was studying Burt almost rudely. "I've never heard the name Hummel before. What do you do?"

Blaine closed his eyes, wishing he could disappear. Of course. Of course his father would ask a question like that.

"I'm not surprised you haven't," Burt shrugged, clearly not caring. "We are from Lima, I own a tire shop there."

"A tire shop," Walter repeated, as if the words offended him. "And how, if I may ask, do you know Blaine?"

"That would be because of me," Kurt intervened and Blaine wanted to grab his hand and push him away, far from his father's prying, judgmental glance. He took a couple of steps until he was standing right next to Blaine. "Kurt Hummel."

Walter quirked an eyebrow and looked Kurt up and down without even hiding what he was doing. He didn't take the hand Kurt was offering. "I see…"

"Kurt is a friend," Blaine said quickly, wanting to avoid any comments Walter might make if he found out Kurt and he were more than that. He felt Kurt slightly deflating next to him as he dropped the hand he was still holding up, but he knew he could explain to him later, once he was sure Walter wasn't going to embarrass him in front of the others. "I met him a couple of months ago. Actually, he works in front of…"

"Lovely," Walter interrupted, obviously not interested, still looking at Kurt with suspicion in his hazel eyes.

"We're celebrating Blaine's birthday. You can join us if you'd like," Carole said, in a vain attempt to reduce the discomfort that floated in the air.

"Blaine's birthday?" Walter repeated and looked at his son as he had never heard of something like that before. Blaine forced himself not to feel disappointed because his father didn't even remember the day he had been born. "No, thank you. I need to talk to Blaine and then you can all return to your little… party."

With a sharp gesture of the head, Walter signaled for Blaine to follow him into the kitchen. He obeyed without saying anything, without even daring to look back at the Hummels.

Walter turned to face him. His expression was cold and daunting. "What the hell are you doing, Blaine?"

"I'm just… I'm having dinner," Blaine answered weakly.

"Don't be stupid. You know what I mean," Walter crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you doing with your life?"

Blaine blinked, feeling incredibly dumb. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."

"Didn't I teach you what the important things in a man's life are? Didn't I pay for your education, give you a job, put a roof above your head?" He asked, almost dramatically, lifting his gaze up the ceiling, pointing around at the apartment.

"I… yes, but…" Blaine was more and more confused.

"And this is how you repay me?" Walter's voice was almost a roar and Blaine felt himself blushing, knowing the other three people in the dining room could hear every word. "I wish you could go through one day, one single day, Blaine, without disappointing me as much as you do."

"I don't understand what I did wrong!" Blaine replied, wishing Walter would shut up, wishing he didn't have to listen to any of this, not now, not tonight.

"What's that I hear about you taking photography classes?" Walter questioned bluntly and Blaine gaped, shocked, for a few seconds.

"How… how do you know about that?"

"The daughter of one of my biggest clients goes there, too, and he saw you when he went over to pick her up after a class," Walter explained, frowning.

Blaine shook his head. "Okay, yes, I'm taking photography classes. I don't know why that's a big deal, I do it after work and…"

"And it's pointless that you waste your time on that kind of thing," Walter interrupted, impatiently. "No wonder your work is always so inadequate. You don't spend enough time researching the cases and reading the files!"

"That's not true!" Blaine exclaimed, frustration growing inside of him like a fire.

"Do you enjoy bringing shame to the family name, Blaine? Is that what it is?" Walter said, a fist hitting the countertop, his voice echoing in the otherwise empty kitchen.

Blaine's breathing became heavy and hard. He closed his eyes. "Dad…"

"And these people… how can you associate with them? They are nobodies," Walter hissed. Blaine opened his eyes and stared at him with a warning mixed with the hazel. "They're the ones you spent Thanksgivings with, aren't they?"

"Please, Dad, they are wonderful people. Don't talk about them like…"

"Like what? Like I don't see what kind of social garbage they are? A _mechanic_ ," Walter huffed with indignity, as if he couldn't think of a bigger offense. "How did you end up interacting with people like that? Though I shouldn't be surprised…" Walter rolled his eyes in mock and disgust. "One look at that boy is enough to tell me. He screams fag…"

"Dad!" Blaine raised his voice. He thought he heard a chair moving against the floor in the next room, as if someone had stood up brusquely and two soft voices shushing. "Don't use that word!"

"Isn't that what you are, too?" Walter took a few steps until he was standing right in front of Blaine. "A fag? If I discover you're doing exactly what I think you're doing, Blaine… I swear, you can forget about this family, you can forget about everything your mother and I did for you…"

 _What? What did you do for me? You did nothing but made me feel unloved, unwanted, untalented, unimportant_ , Blaine thought, but couldn't seem to get the words out. Instead, as the weak, disappointing crap he was, he covered his face with his hands, wanting to block out everything.

"You had better forget about those classes and you had better forget about these people," Walter continued, colder than ever. "Get your act together and grow up for once. I can't believe _you_ are my son. What a waste of space…"

Blaine could feel his eyes watering, but he forced himself not to cry. Not in front of his father. He wouldn't allow Walter to see what he could do to him. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction of realizing how much he could affect him.

"I'm serious, Blaine. Get rid of them," he moved a hand around, vaguely. "Don't test my patience."

And without another word, Walter walked out of the kitchen, his steps resounding throughout the silent apartment, until the front door closed with a thump. Blaine stayed there, in the middle of the kitchen, breathing heavily, clenching his fists and hating himself so much he could barely stand it. He had let Kurt, Carole and Burt get involved in this. He had let them see what a disaster his world was. He had let his father insult them. It had gone too far.

Blaine almost jumped a foot in the air when he felt a hand pressing against the small of his back. Kurt was right there by his side, looking at him with the saddest expression Blaine had ever seen.

"Blaine…" He started, quietly.

"No," Blaine shook his head, as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "Please don't say anything."

Kurt didn't speak again. He just stood there, with his hand warming Blaine's skin through the layers of clothing, his blue eyes boring into his, intensely.

Blaine hid his face in his hands once again. "I'm so sorry, Kurt. So sorry that you had to listen to that…"

"It's fine," Kurt assured him.

"No, no it's not!" Blaine stepped away from him, unable to feel Kurt so close to him. No one should be close to him. He didn't deserve any of the amazing people that were in his apartment right now. "You shouldn't have to deal with any of this. And the things he said… I know you all heard…"

"I don't care what he says, Blaine," Kurt put his hands on his shoulders to make him look at him. "I don't. At all. I know what kind of man he is, and I wouldn't expect anything else from him…"

Blaine's face scrunched in pain that wasn't even physical, but that was so much stronger than that. "What are your parents going to think?"

"That you didn't win the lottery in the family department, to be honest," Burt said, as he walked into the kitchen, Carole trailing behind. Blaine avoided looking at any of them. "We don't judge _you_ for what he said, kiddo. It's not your fault that your old man is such a huge bastard."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hummel, that you had to hear those things, what he said about you, what he said about Kurt…" Blaine turned around, his back to the others, and put his hands on the counter, hanging his head, trying to control himself.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, Blaine. If Carole and Kurt hadn't stopped me, I would've ripped that man to pieces," Burt answered. He walked to Blaine and put a hand on his shoulder. "But it's still not your fault. You're a fine man, Blaine."

"I'm not," he protested weakly, wishing he could be, wishing he was what Kurt deserved and would never be.

"You are," Burt insisted firmly, squeezing his shoulder. "And one day you'll realize you're too good for this. That man doesn't deserve to call you his son."

"Mr. Hummel…" Blaine whispered, his voice broken.

"It's Burt. Remember that because I don't want to have to remind you next time I see you," Burt interrupted, still in a firm tone, but gentle, caring. "And that next time better be at Christmas. If I don't see you at my house with Kurt for the holidays, I'll be very upset, Blaine."

Blaine swallowed again and looked at the man who seemed to care more for him than his own father. "Thank you, Burt."

"Good," Burt smiled at him. "Now, Carole and I are gonna go. We still have to drive back to Lima and I think it's better if we leave the two of you alone to talk. Call us if you need anything, okay? That goes for you too, Blaine."

Blaine nodded and then he found himself trapped in Carole's arms.

"It was so nice seeing you, sweetheart," she said, tightening her grip around him more than was strictly necessary. "I'll be waiting for Christmas impatiently." She pulled away and looked at Kurt and Blaine alternately. "I love the holidays. It's the only way to have all of my boys home at the same time."

The tears were stinging Blaine's eyes at those words, but once again, he managed to hold them back. "Thanks for coming."

"Happy birthday again," she kissed his cheek affectionately.

After a few more goodbyes, Kurt told Blaine he would accompany his parents downstairs to the car and that he would be right back. Blaine simply nodded and watched them go before moving back to the dining room, where the candle on the cake was still lit, waiting for him to make a wish.

He blew it out immediately. There was no point in making wishes.

He heard the soft sound of the front door announcing Kurt's return, but he didn't move. He stayed there, very still, until he felt a pair of strong arms around his waist from behind and Kurt's chin rested on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" He whispered, dropping a sweet kiss on Blaine's jaw.

Blaine sighed, his hands finding Kurt's where they were resting on his stomach and intertwining their fingers together. "A bit upset, but… yeah, I'm fine."

"Why don't you go take a shower and relax and I'll take care of the dishes? We can watch a movie later or something," Kurt proposed, although he was happy tangled up with Blaine and didn't want to move.

"Oh, no, no, you don't have to clean up, Kurt, I can…" Blaine reached for the plates, but Kurt stopped him.

"Hey, don't. You know I don't mind," he gently pushed Blaine out of the dining room. "I'll let you wash my dishes when my birthday comes," he added, teasingly, and a tiny smile spread on Blaine's lips.

"Fine," Blaine turned around and gave him a quick kiss on the mouth, needing the comfort that only that could bring him. "I'll be right back."

"Take your time," Kurt answered.

Blaine stepped into the shower, closed the glass door behind him and sighed in contentment when the warm water started flowing down his skin. He had never really liked how unnecessarily big the shower was (four people could stand inside comfortably), but tonight he was grateful for it. He was grateful for not having another reason to feel trapped.

The bathroom was also big. The floors and walls were dark gray. The wall above the sink, which was in a large granite countertop, had a tall mirror with three lights over it. There was a huge bath tub in addition to the shower (that also had more types of water sprays than Blaine would use in his entire life), which Blaine never used for lack of time and practicality.

As he let his muscles relax, he imagined himself in the tub, warm water almost overflowing to the floor, with Kurt sitting against his chest. Kurt's soft skin was against his own, his naked body glued to his. They weren't really doing anything else, they were just there together and Kurt was smiling and that was a comfort for him. But still, imagining the sensation of Kurt's bare body, although it was just a fantasy, made him feel as if he were crossing the lines, ignoring the limits.

He always felt guilty, every time he caught himself thinking of Kurt that way. Every time he imagined himself undressing him reverently, seeking the smooth porcelain skin Kurt hid under his clothes. He had spent so many years trying to suppress thoughts like those, trying not to let himself think of guys in that way, as if that would make being alone easier. But Kurt was irresistible, too beautiful, too dangerous, just as Blaine had known the first time he had looked at him. With just a blink of those powerful blue eyes, Kurt could destroy the effort that Blaine had made his entire life to stay away, to convince himself he was better off without anyone else, that his father didn't have to put with the shame of a gay son.

No one had ever done for him what Kurt had been doing since the day they had met. Blaine was so irrevocably in love with him that he was afraid his heart would burst out of his chest. But things like what had happened tonight seemed to send an alert through him: _let him go, keep him away. He doesn't need to deal any of this._

But then, a voice that sounded a lot like Kurt's resounded in his head: _and you do? Why do you want to save him from this so badly but you won't do anything to save yourself?_

Blaine rested his head against the cold tiles. He was so tired of everything, but especially, he was tired of being weak. He was tired of standing in front of his father and allowing him to insult all the good things in his life without being able to open his mouth to defend them. He was tired of being a toy that everyone played with. He was tired of holding back and settling for unhappiness because he didn't have the courage to look for anything else.

The problem was that he didn't know how to behave differently. He was the guy who kept his head down and agreed to what others said because his life was a little less miserable if he did that. He wasn't strong and free-spirited like Kurt was.

Wonderful, unique, beautiful Kurt.

He turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. His muscles had relaxed a bit but his mind was still troubled. He knew it was going to take a while to get rid of the anger, the bitterness and the embarrassment he had felt when his father insulted Kurt that way, even more since Burt had been able to hear it. He was surprised Burt hadn't attacked Walter, if he had to be honest. But there was a vital difference between both men: Burt was a decent man.

Once he was back in his room, he looked for his favorite pair of sweatpants and hoodie. Part of him wanted to dress up nicely for Kurt, but other still felt bad and just wanted to curl up on the couch and hide. He hoped Kurt wouldn't mind and put the clothes on, dragging his socked feet across the floor when he was done, making his way to the living room.

He could hear that Kurt was speaking softly and Blaine first assumed that he was on the phone with someone, but when he reached the doorway that connected the hallway to the living room, he found him rummaging through Blaine's shelves, looking for a movie, as he talked to Robert, who was sitting quietly at his feet, looking up at him with his head slightly tilted.

"Mm, no, not this one," Kurt murmured, putting back a DVD. "We need something happy, don't you think, Robert? Something that will make Blaine laugh… I wish I knew which one is his favorite movie… he has a lot of superheroes movies, too," he stopped and studied the row of movies, thoughtfully. "Maybe a horror movie? I don't really like them, but they are really distracting and that's what he needs…"

Blaine didn't notice he was moving until he was standing right behind Kurt and slipping his arms around his waist. Kurt jumped, surprised, but instantly relaxed against him, smiling.

"Oh, good. Now that you're here you can tell me what your favorite movie is," Kurt said, still staring at the titles in front of him.

"I'm so in love with you," Blaine answered and hey, he hadn't exactly planned to say _that_. He felt the air leaving his lungs and his heart skipped a few beats.

"Uhm? I don't know that one…" Kurt grabbed another DVD and started reading the description in the back. And then… "Wait, what?"

Blaine closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before turning Kurt around in his arms, knowing there was no point in taking his words back now. "I love you, Kurt."

The way the smile spread on Kurt's face was so gradual that Blaine swore he could see how the muscles shifted, how the skin tightened, how the dimples on his cheeks deepened, how the spark settled in his blue eyes. "You do?"

Blaine swallowed and nodded, nervously. "It's completely fine if you don't, though," he added quickly. "Really. Don't feel like you have to…"

Kurt rolled his eyes and put both of his hands on each side of Blaine's face, bringing him closer and crashing their lips together. The kiss effectively silenced Blaine, who whimpered a bit into Kurt's mouth.

"Blaine?" Kurt whispered, his lips still against Blaine's, the action sending a shiver down Blaine's spine.

"Yeah?" Blaine's eyes locked with his, a little hesitant. Kurt's fingers brushed his jaw, lightly, feeling the stubble that had been growing there.

"I love you, too, silly," Kurt answered with a smile and he felt Blaine's breath into his mouth when he exhaled in relief before resuming their kiss.

Blaine forgot about everything. In that very moment, there wasn't such thing as his father's hate, his mother's indifference, his eternal loneliness or his years living a life that had never seemed his own. Right then, in that exact second, as Kurt's arms wrapped tightly around him to pull him even closer, as their lips were connected in the most beautiful kiss they had shared, Blaine felt happy and loved. He felt the happiness spreading throughout his body, filling his chest, rushing through his veins and his fingers buried into the small of Kurt's back, suddenly overwhelmed by it, needing something to keep him grounded, to show him he wasn't dreaming, that this was actually happening.

Kurt pulled away after a couple of minutes, but the smile disappeared from his face when he saw the tears coming down Blaine's cheeks. "Blaine… what's wrong?" He asked, wiping them away lovingly.

Blaine grinned, the corner of his eyes wrinkling as he tried to hold back more tears. "Nothing. I'm just… this is all I've ever wanted."

"Oh, sweetheart," Kurt muttered, moving forward again to place kisses all over the other man's face.

Blaine stayed very still, grateful for the attention he was getting, until his lips ached to get back to Kurt's and he tilted his head slightly to the side to catch them when Kurt was about to press the forty seventh kiss to his jaw. It started slow and gentle and then became open-mouthed and deeper. Their tongues brushed together shyly, something they hadn't allowed themselves to really do the other times they'd kissed. Blaine, a little surprised at the action, made a noise in the back of his throat that sounded a lot like a growl. Kurt loved the sound as soon as he heard it and, wanting to hear it again, circled Blaine's tongue with his to pull it into his mouth, where he sucked on it lightly.

Blaine's fingers were digging into his back a little stronger. Kurt moved one of his hands up until he reached Blaine's still damp curls. He fisted them, not hard enough to be painful, but loving how amazing they felt tangled between his fingers.

They pulled away when their breathing became ragged and difficult. Kurt's pupils were blown and Blaine's gaze was filled with sheer desire. Blaine's lips felt naked without Kurt pressed against them, so he leaned in and tentatively started kissing along his jaw, under his ear, down his neck. Kurt squirmed, using the grip he had on Blaine's hair to bring him closer, throwing his head back to give him more access.

" _Blaine_ ," he moaned softly, when Blaine nibbled gently on his earlobe. "Oh, god, I love you so much…"

Blaine was shaking. For so many years he had controlled himself, had hid his emotions, his urges, his desires, and with just one look at Kurt all of his restraint had crumbled like a sandcastle hit by the tide. And what a powerful tide. What a powerful, beautiful tide Kurt was. Blaine would crumble at his mercy every time Kurt wanted him to.

Blaine's lips made their way back to Kurt's, where he placed a quick kiss before straightening up to look him in the eyes. "Kurt…" He swallowed. How was it possible that he had this gorgeous man in his arms and it wasn't a dream? These things didn't happen to Blaine. It was surreal. "I… Kurt, I have nothing to offer to you. I… you deserve…"

Kurt shook his head. "No, no, Blaine, don't. Don't say that."

"It's true…"

"You have everything I've ever dreamt of to offer," Kurt muttered, his blue eyes staring at him so intensely that Blaine was surprised he didn't burst into flames. "I've never felt this way… Blaine, you're not the only one who has been alone," he smiled as he brushed some of Blaine's curls back. "There's a reason I've never left Ohio. I thought I'd never find someone who could love me and that I could love back and I didn't want to be in some strange city halfway across the country and realize I didn't have anybody. I stayed here for my family, but I also stayed here because I've always been afraid…"

"Anyone who doesn't fall in love with you is either blind or stupid," Blaine replied quietly, hypnotized by Kurt's gaze. "Or both."

Kurt nuzzled against his cheek, sighing. "All I want from you is your love. That's all I'm asking for."

"You have it," Blaine assured him immediately. "It's been yours since I saw you for the first time."

"Good, because I'm pretty sure you've had mine since then, too," Kurt bit his lip, sheepishly.

Blaine cupped his face with one of his hands and Kurt leaned into the touch. "It's just… I'm a little broken, in case you haven't noticed yet."

There was no hesitation in Kurt's eyes, no doubt in his words, no need for a second thought. "We'll fix you. Together."

Blaine crashed their lips together in another kiss, this one even more desperate than any of the others. He loved this man in a way he couldn't even understand. It seemed to have taken over his life, nothing else mattered as long as Kurt was there. He kissed him passionately, feeling Kurt's lips moving under his to respond, the hand he still had on his face keeping him in place, feeling the way Kurt's jaw moved to open his mouth. Blaine slipped his tongue inside, wanting more, needing to taste Kurt. The muffled moan Kurt produced echoed into his own mouth and Blaine felt his whole body twitching in return.

Kurt was panting when he broke away this time. The blue in his eyes was almost completely gone, his pupils impossibly dilated. "C-can we go to your bed?" He asked, his voice hoarse, with an edge of neediness.

Drunken, blurred memories of a night Blaine could barely remember flashed through his mind. Strange hands roaming his body, sweaty skin glued to his, alcohol-flavored kisses, feeling-less motions and an empty morning after, except for the regrets that had seemed to make his stomach revolt. It had been so pointless, so meaningless, and Blaine had spent endless nights wishing he hadn't been so stupid, wishing he hadn't done something like that for all the wrong reasons. Blaine had spent endless nights hoping he could erase that someday, as if the marks of a random man's fingertips were still printed on his skin. He had wished for love for so long…

"Yes," he answered at last, and his fingers intertwined with Kurt to guide him down the hallway towards his room.


	10. Chapter 10

They slowly dropped down onto the bed together, side by side. They couldn't tear their eyes away from each other, fascinated with the love and the want in the other's gaze. Kurt scooted until he was pressed against Blaine and ran a finger from his forehead, down the bridge of his nose, stopping at his lips. Blaine kissed his finger softly and Kurt immediately replaced it with his mouth. They sighed in contentment against their parted lips.

"You're so beautiful," Kurt whispered, taking in Blaine's eyes that resembled liquid honey, his kiss-swollen mouth, his silky, unruly curls, the strong outline of his jaw.

He kissed him again, before Blaine had time to even think of a response. They stayed like that, tangled up in each other, trying to get even closer, hands slowly roaming down backs and sides and arms. Their breathing started getting heavier, but kissing seemed so much more important. Kurt pressed a little deeper, his tongue teasing the roof of Blaine's mouth, when a clap of thunder broke the wonderful quietness of the apartment.

Startled, Blaine jumped back, as if the sound had suddenly awakened him from a dream. They could hear the rain starting to fall outside, rhythmically tapping against the windows. Blaine's eyes were wide as he let them wander all over Kurt's flushed face, his full lips, his mussed hair. He swallowed as his thoughts tried to find order inside his head. Right now, they were screaming at him: _Kurt's in your bed, Kurt's in your bed, Kurt's in your bed_.

Kurt moved forward and kissed his chin, sweetly. "Are you okay? You look like you're about to freak out."

"I'm fine," Blaine mumbled. Kurt started rubbing up and down his back in a comforting way.

"We don't have to do anything, you know that, right?" He asked and Blaine could see that glimpse in his eyes that told him he could trust Kurt completely.

Blaine nodded. "I really want to, though," he admitted before he could stop himself. "It's just… I'm nervous. I haven't… in a while… and I…"

Kurt nuzzled their faces together, brushing his lips against Blaine's. "Ssh, don't be. It'll be okay."

Blaine turned his head into the pillow, in embarrassment. "I sound like a teenager." He peeked at Kurt with one eye, his expression scrunching a bit. "I don't want to screw this up."

"And you won't," with a kiss to the tip of his nose, Kurt pulled away slightly. "We can go watch a movie, if you want. There's no need to do this now."

" _No_ ," Blaine whined. He actually _whined_. His arms tightened around Kurt's waist, pulling him closer and that caused his hip to accidentally touch Kurt's thigh. His erection pressed against him and, before he had time to even blush and apologize, he moaned, low, in the back of his throat.

"Blaine," Kurt licked his lips, his eyes blowing up in sheer desire once again. He let out a small growl as he pushed his leg farther into Blaine's groin. Blaine moaned, again, and shivered.

Another clap of thunder resonated outside. Kurt could feel Blaine against him, could feel how much Blaine wanted him, just as much as he wanted Blaine. With a hand on his shoulder, Kurt forced Blaine onto his back, shifting a bit so he was half on top of him. He kissed him open-mouthed with an edge of desperation before letting himself move down. Kurt kissed his jaw and then spent a couple of minutes on his neck, noticing how Blaine grew more and more eager, writhing under him. And then, just when Blaine's fingers dug into his back almost painfully, he pulled away and got up, taking a couple steps away from the bed.

Blaine's hazel eyes were so full of confusion that if Kurt hadn't been so aroused he would've probably laughed. Instead, he took a deep breath and kept his gaze on the man still on the bed.

"If I make you feel uncomfortable..." He started saying.

"You don't, Kurt," Blaine interrupted, sitting up and leaning on his elbows. "Please, come back here."

"In a minute," Kurt swallowed. His skin was burning and the need to be touched was almost overwhelming. "I want you to tell me if there's something you don't want or you don't like or..."

"I promise I will," Blaine assured him. "I will. But please, _please_ , Kurt..."

Kurt reached to run his hand through Blaine's curls. He was so sensitive at this point that just feeling Kurt's fingers on his hair made him whimper. He tried to grab Kurt by the wrist to tug him back into bed, but Kurt removed his hand before he could react.

Blaine was about to let out another whine in protest when he saw Kurt had moved his hands to the hem of his sweater. After just one second of hesitation (or maybe of mere preparation), Kurt took it off. He let it fall onto the floor, for once not caring about his clothes.

Blaine stared. Kurt was still wearing an undershirt, but there was so much more skin now than he had seen before. It was pale, creamy and firm and his fingers tingled with the need to touch and feel just how soft it probably was. Blaine's mouth watered at the sight of Kurt's arms, so strong and defined. He wanted them around him, holding him.

Kurt blushed a bit under Blaine's scrutiny, but kept going. He tugged on the shirt and took it off as well, revealing his broad chest, the taut skin on his stomach, the trail of light hair going down into the waistband of his jeans. Blaine had to bite his lip to hold back a moan, aching to pinch and lick Kurt's perfect pink nipples, already turned into hardened nubs in anticipation. He was so focused on imagining how they would feel in his mouth that he didn't notice Kurt had popped open the button of his jeans until he heard the metallic sound of the zipper being pulled down.

Kurt had to shimmy his hips to get out of his skinny jeans and Blaine watched with eager eyes. Kurt was wearing black tight underwear and the outline of his erection was terribly evident under the thin cotton. Blaine let out a ragged breath and thrust up his hips unconsciously.

Once Kurt was in nothing but his underwear, he made his way back to the bed. Blaine's eyes moved over his body, trying to take everything in but not knowing where to focus. He was so beautiful, so touchable, so irresistible...

Kurt knelt beside him on the mattress and looked down at him. Blaine couldn't really wait anymore, so he hesitantly reached and traced his fingers down Kurt's body, starting on the sharpness of his collarbone, down the middle of his chest and stopping right in his belly button. Kurt shivered with the caress.

"Gosh, Kurt... You're incredible," Blaine whispered, fascinated. He touched the light brown hair that covered Kurt's legs, loving how soft and manly it was at the same time. He tried not to stare at the bulge hidden by the thin layer of fabric, although it made him _ache_ and _want_ and _need_.

"I feel a little lonely here," Kurt said with a playful grin. "Can I take off your hoodie?"

"Yes," Blaine answered, already scrambling up to get rid of it. Kurt chuckled and helped him, tugging at the hem.

He wasn't wearing a shirt under the hoodie and the air evaporated from Kurt's lungs when he discovered the tanned, perfect skin dusted with dark hair below. Blaine was almost sculptural and he couldn't believe _that_ had been hiding under those boring suits Blaine wore to work every day. The stunning V shape of his hipbones made Kurt hunger in a way he had never felt before and he found himself wanting to bite and suck right there. He traced the bones with the tip of his index finger, feeling Blaine's stomach contracting at the touch.

Blaine's hazel eyes were fixed on him, following his every move. Even the slightest brush of Kurt's fingertips made him burn. And then Kurt started sliding his finger along the waistband of his sweatpants, barely slipping under, teasingly, and Blaine was surprised he didn't burst into flames.

"Kurt," he muttered, gulping. He fisted the bed's cover in one of his hands.

"It's okay, baby, I was getting there," Kurt leaned down and pressed a soft, too chaste kiss to Blaine's cheekbone. He rested their foreheads together for a second. "Raise your hips a bit for me."

Blaine obliged immediately and Kurt carefully tugged on his pants to take them off, moving down the bed along with them and finally sitting between Blaine's feet. He dropped the pants to the floor before taking his socks off and doing the same. Then, he allowed himself to look at the man lying in front of him.

His cock twitched a bit at the sight. _Shit_ , Blaine was so beautiful, Kurt couldn't believe he had him there all for himself. His legs, though a bit shorter than his, looked so strong, so toned. He was hairier than Kurt and even though Kurt had always preferred the contrary, he couldn't help but think Blaine was absolutely perfect. There was so much to touch that he didn't know where to start. His eyes fell on the bulge covered by dark green cotton. There was already a wet spot in the fabric and Kurt had to use all of his self-control not to start mouthing at him in that exact place. He wanted to take this as slowly as he could.

He was incapable of biting back the almost animalistic growl that seeing Blaine like this elicited in him. "Damn it, Blaine... You look amazing."

Blaine's only response was a wanton whine.

"I know, baby, I know," Kurt took a few seconds to drop tiny kisses all over Blaine's face. "Just tell me what you want."

"I-I don't know..." he mumbled, breathless. "Anything. Everything. Kurt, _please_."

"Okay," Kurt nodded. He wanted to do this right. He wanted to make Blaine happy and give him what he hadn't had in years, what Blaine hadn't allowed himself to experience. He was terrified to make a mistake, but he knew that letting his instincts take over was the best thing to do.

So Kurt decided to focus on Blaine's neck first. He kissed it lightly, before choosing a spot right under his jaw to suck on. It was a bit scratchy because of the stubble, but it felt wonderful on his tongue. Blaine squirmed and writhed under him, his fingers pressing against his back a little tighter with every jolt of pleasure. Once that spot was red and slick, Kurt moved on, lapping gently at his throat until he reached his collarbone, where he latched firmly, sucking again.

Kurt's pink, full lips barely brushed Blaine's chest, so softly that it made him think he had imagined it. But then his tongue was rolling in circles around one of his nipples and Blaine couldn't stop himself from rocking his hips up in an instinctive search for some friction that was denied to him, as Kurt's hips were not even close to his. He teased the little nub for a couple of minutes and then sucked on it. Blaine moaned loudly, one of his hands moving to Kurt's head involuntarily and fisting his chestnut hair.

"So good," he stammered, amazed. "Kurt, t-that's so good..."

Kurt wondered for a fraction of a second if Blaine had even imagined he could feel this much pleasure just from something like that, but immediately cleared his head of any unnecessary thoughts to focus back on making him feel even more pleasure. He shifted a bit and moved his mouth to the other nipple, to give it the same attention.

When he was done, he allowed himself a second to breathe and look up to Blaine, who had his head thrown back and kept swallowing over and over. Blaine was slowly losing control and Kurt wanted to push him a bit more over the edge. He blew carefully, letting the cold air hit Blaine's spit-slick nipples. Blaine shivered and moaned once more, his fingers tightening in Kurt's hair.

With a smile, Kurt kept kissing down, over Blaine's stomach, running his tongue in the dips between each rib, circling his belly button, loving how the hair that trailed ever farther south felt against his soft lips. When he reached the waistband of his underwear, Kurt hesitated, but decided against taking them off, wanting to drag it out a bit longer. Instead, he did just what he had wanted to do before: he softly lowered his face against Blaine's erection and started mouthing at it, starting at the base and moving to the tip gradually.

Blaine's whine of pure pleasure sounded so broken that Kurt glanced up at him without stopping to make sure he was alright. Blaine was looking back at him with the wildest hazel eyes he had ever seen and his face was a painting of nothing but utter beauty and desperation. His parted lips were so red that it was obvious he had been biting on them. Kurt couldn't stop the moan of sheer want that escaped from his throat. It went straight to Blaine's cock, where his mouth was working over the cotton-covered head.

That seemed to be too much for Blaine. His erection started pulsing under Kurt's lips and he moaned louder than ever as he came in his underwear. Kurt kept kissing him through it, feeling the warm spurts of come wetting the fabric as he dug his fingers into Blaine's thighs to hold himself together a little bit longer.

"Oh my God, Kurt..." he panted, still shaking in the afterglow of his orgasm. He tugged on Kurt's hair until he understood and moved back up to lay next to him. "Oh my _God_."

"Was that okay?" Kurt asked, wrapping an arm around him.

"Okay?" Blaine repeated incredulous. "I came way too soon. It was more than okay."

Kurt decided he really liked post-orgasm Blaine. He seemed a lot more carefree. "I hope you don't think I'm done with you yet."

Blaine chuckled and nuzzled against his neck. "I think it's your turn now."

Kurt shook his head, grinning. "Nope. It's our turn." He leaned in to kiss him, full and passionate, before Blaine could think of anything to say. When he pulled away, his blue eyes were so bright Blaine was afraid he would be blinded by them. "I... I want to touch you, Blaine."

"I want to touch you, too," Blaine nibbled on Kurt's jaw. "But I'm all gross and sticky."

"I don't care," Kurt said, eagerly. "Please?"

Blaine couldn't say no when Kurt begged him like that. "Yes, _yes_ , of course."

Blaine took his underwear off and dropped it on the floor after cleaning a bit of his mess. He was half hard again already and Kurt looked at him, feeling he could come just from that. He really couldn't understand how it was possible for someone to be as breathtaking as Blaine was.

Blaine hooked a finger under the elastic of Kurt's boxers. "Can I?"

"Yeah," Kurt nodded, shifting to help Blaine.

Blaine moaned when Kurt was completely naked. "Gosh, Kurt... Look at you."

"I can't, I'm too busy looking at you," Kurt replied and touched the firm muscles of Blaine's abs.

Blaine attacked the crook of Kurt's neck with his lips, kissing eagerly and lapping at the pale skin there. Kurt arched against him, exhaling shakily and gripping onto Blaine's shoulders tightly. Their now freed erections accidentally met and they both threw their heads back, growling in appreciation of the tantalizing sensation that rushed through their bodies. Kurt immediately wrapped his legs around Blaine's waist and pulled him closer, intensifying the pleasure and making them whimper louder. They started rocking together, Blaine never stopping the movements of his mouth over every inch of Kurt's skin he could reach. Kurt thrust sharply one more time, but he knew he would come soon if he didn't stop, even if it felt wonderful like this. But he wanted something else.

"Blaine... Wait, wait," he tangled his fingers in the other man's dark curls.

"What? What is it?" Blaine gave him a confused, worried look tainted with arousal.

"I don't want to come like this," Kurt whined, because his cock was still trapped between their bodies and it was so hard not to keep going.

Blaine's eyes softened. He brushed Kurt's hair back. "What do you want, beautiful?"

Kurt's heart was beating strongly inside his chest. "Can I... I-in you? Inside of you?"

Blaine's growl echoed in the otherwise silenced room. He dropped his head on Kurt's shoulder. "Shit, Kurt, yes, _please_ , yes, I want you."

Kurt swallowed and took a deep breath. "Are you sure?"

Blaine's teeth grazed the outline of his jaw. "I've never been surer of anything in my life. I love you so much..."

"I love you, too," Kurt smiled and leaned to kiss Blaine again. They took their time to let their tongues dance together, letting the anticipation and desire grow even more.

Blaine started getting impatient. He wanted more, he needed to feel Kurt everywhere, he wanted to kiss his skin and familiarize himself with every inch of his body. He broke the kiss to brush his lips down Kurt's chest and suck on his nipples for a little while, making Kurt gasp and cry out for more. He was about to continue his path down when Kurt pushed him back up, panting and desperate.

"I can't wait anymore, please, Blaine…"

Blaine nodded jerkily and pulled away just enough to reach his bedside table, where he started searching through the drawers as Kurt kept nibbling on his shoulder. He finally managed to find the bottle of lube, but he knew it was in vain to look for condoms. He didn't have any because he hadn't needed them in years. He gulped, realizing his mistake.

"Fuck," he muttered and if he hadn't felt so good in Kurt's arms he would've stood up to bang his head against the wall in frustration.

"What is it?" Kurt asked, still busy kissing his shoulder.

"I… I don't have any condoms," Blaine admitted. Kurt stopped and stared at him with eyes blurred with want. "I'm sorry, Kurt. I just… I've never really needed them until tonight…"

Kurt had to blink several times to actually understand what Blaine was saying because all he could think of was how good it felt to have the other man pressed against him that way. But he finally snapped out of it. "I think there's one in my wallet…"

"Oh, thank God," Blaine stood, causing him to instantly miss the heat of Kurt's body. "Where is it?"

"Living room, I think. With my keys and my cellphone…" Kurt answered and he should have given himself a high five for actually remembering that at this point.

Kurt waited for Blaine to return with his eyes closed, willing himself to cool down a bit. He stroked his erection a couple of times to release some of the tension as he heard Blaine moving around the living room muttering " _where the hell is it?_ " over and over until he sounded victorious and Kurt assumed he had found what he was looking for.

When Blaine stepped back into the room, the sight that greeted him threatened to push him over the edge of another orgasm. Kurt was spread out, pale and gorgeous, in his bed, touching himself very slowly, with his eyes closed, his hair messier than he had ever seen it before. Blaine swallowed and rushed back to the bed, opening the condom wrapper as he went.

Kurt opened one lazy eye when he felt the mattress shifting under Blaine's weight and moaned when he noticed the glimpse of wild desperation in those beautiful hazel eyes. Blaine kneeled in between his legs and carefully slid the condom on his length. Kurt couldn't help but buck up to the touch, loving how Blaine's fingers felt on him.

" _Kurt_ ," Blaine said in a pleading voice-

"O-Okay," Kurt nodded and brought Blaine down for one more kiss. He allowed himself to get lost in it as he did his best to regain his composure. Finally, he whispered against his lips, "get on your stomach, baby."

Blaine hurried to oblige, flopping down on the bed and hiding his face in the pillow. Kurt let his gaze wander down the strong outlines of his back and the sweet, tempting curve of his ass. He leaned down to trail his lips down his spine and push his tongue into the dimples above his butt.

Blaine was fisting the covers so hard his knuckles were white and he bit on the pillow to stop himself from begging, knowing he would only embarrass himself with how needy he would sound. Kurt's mouth fell amazing on his skin. It was setting fire to every inch he kissed and Blaine was trembling with pleasure under him.

Blaine couldn't help but thrust against the mattress when Kurt spread his cheeks apart and a lube-coated finger circled his entrance lightly. He gasped and closed his eyes.

When Kurt's finger pushed inside, he moaned loudly, unable to contain the sounds that were coming up his throat. Kurt waited, gave him time, kissed the back of his shoulders soothingly and repeated that he loved him before continuing. As soon as Blaine started asking for more, Kurt complied and pushed his finger all the way in.

The burn was so good, so intense. Blaine emptied his head of any thoughts that didn't have to do with Kurt and the way he was touching him, so intimately, in a way that not even Blaine allowed himself to. Kurt gently stretched him, adding more fingers when Blaine told him he was ready, listening to Blaine's strangled sounds, biting his lips to contain the moans that wanted to escape from him when Blaine started thrusting his ass back towards him, trying to get even more from the three fingers Kurt had buried in him.

Kurt was sweating. He had been hard for so long already that he didn't know how he could possibly wait any longer. He scissored his fingers one last time before leaning down to talk right into Blaine's ear. "Are you ready?"

" _Yes_ ," Blaine practically whined. He was completely wrecked, damp curls sticking to his forehead, sweat covering his skin, eyes blown. "Yes, Kurt, yes, I'm ready, I need you."

Blaine sighed in longing as he clenched around the emptiness left behind when Kurt withdrew his fingers. Kurt poured lube into his hands to get himself ready and when he looked up to shift closer, he almost fainted at the view in front of him.

Blaine was lying on the bed on his stomach, his legs parted as far as he could take them, his ass barely raised in the air, waiting. His whole body was trembling in sheer _want_ and Kurt moaned softly when he realized he had done this to Blaine.

Blaine took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. He was so desperate he was afraid he would come as soon as Kurt as much as pushed inside of him. And though he knew he would feel amazing, he didn't want to disappoint Kurt. He wanted to make him feel as good as he was feeling.

Kurt lined up with his entrance and then moved forward. The stretch was blunt and sudden and Blaine moaned brokenly. Kurt kept going until he was half inside of him and then waited, holding onto Blaine's hips so tight he knew he'd leave bruises. He only dared to move again when Blaine relaxed under him and nodded his head against the pillow he was clutching to his chest.

Kurt pushed the rest of the way in and then stopped again, shifting to find a good angle as he allowed Blaine some more time. He ended up lying on top of Blaine, his chest pressed to the other man's back, covering him completely. He kissed the base of his neck, tasting the saltiness of his sweat on his tongue.

"I love you, Blaine," he whispered and Blaine shivered.

"I love you, too," he half mumbled, half moaned.

Kurt started thrusting lightly. "God, you're so tight and so perfect…"

"I don't know how long I can last," Blaine admitted, as he tried to spread his legs farther. "You feel too good…"

"I don't think I can really last, either," Kurt started sucking on a purpling mark on Blaine's shoulder, not even able to remember when he had made it.

It took them a couple of minutes to find a rhythm that worked for both of them. Kurt shifted the angle of his hips twice before Blaine screamed so loud he was sure the entire building had heard him.

"There, Kurt, right _there_!"

Kurt would've smiled against the skin of his back if he wasn't so wrecked himself. Their hands found each other, and Kurt pulled them above their heads, intertwining their fingers. He could feel himself brushing against Blaine's prostate with every thrust and he knew if he kept going like that Blaine would come soon. The rutting Blaine was doing against the bed didn't help to slow things down.

The sounds they were eliciting from each other were delicious and loud. Blaine loved how high-pitched Kurt's voice became when he was close, loved the weight of his body on top of him, the sway of one another as they chased their orgasms.

The pleasure building low in his stomach wasn't unexpected. Blaine clenched around Kurt, making him groan and bite down on his shoulder hard. "Kurt… oh god, I'm gonna…"

Kurt's breath hit hot and damp against Blaine's neck as he whined and moved his hips even faster, his movements becoming sloppy and desperate, his orgasm striking him without much warning. He started coming inside of Blaine, throbbing, pulsing, and that was enough for Blaine to finally let go.

They shook against each other, their fingers tightening their grip, their bodies moving together to try to make the overwhelming sensations last as long as possible. In a second of consciousness, Blaine wished he wasn't on his stomach so he could kiss Kurt, feel his mouth on his. But then everything was _pleasure, pleasure, hot, hot, hot_ and _so good_.

Finally everything went still. Kurt had collapsed on top of him, breathless, boneless, exhausted. He barely managed to turn his head enough to drop a kiss to Blaine's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice hoarse, unrecognizable.

Blaine nodded. "M'so tired, though…"

Kurt smiled lazily and shifted to get more comfortable, only to be reminded that his cock was still buried inside of Blaine. They both whimpered as Kurt pulled away carefully, moving to lie down next to Blaine instead. He rubbed slow, soothing circles on the small of his back.

Blaine sighed in contentment and nuzzled against him, smiling. His eyes were closed and Kurt knew he was just seconds away from falling asleep.

"Blaine?"

"Mm?"

"You _do_ know we have to clean up and change the covers, right?" He asked with a playful grin on his face, happiness expanding inside his chest like a balloon.

The way Blaine pouted was so adorable he couldn't help but laugh at him and lean down to kiss him one more time.

* * *

Kurt woke up with a smile. His naked body was wrapped in soft, clean sheets and the first thing he noticed before he even opened his eyes was the intoxicating scent of Blaine all around him. He hummed contentedly and extended an arm in Blaine's direction, wanting to pull him closer.

Only his arm never found anything. The other side of the bed was still warm, but vacant. Kurt peeked with one eye, his face still pressed against the pillow. The room was bathed in clear, pale sunlight, so it couldn't be late, which Kurt felt grateful for since he still had to go to work. Their clothes were still scattered over the floor. But Blaine was nowhere to be seen.

He propped himself up on his elbows, knowing it was too late to go back to sleep even though he really, really wanted to, and started looking around for a clock or a cellphone where he could check the time. When his gaze fell on the bedside table of the side Blaine had slept on, he felt his heart flutter in his chest.

With the events of the night before, he hadn't paid much attention to his surroundings, but now he noticed the picture Blaine had framed and placed there: it was the one he had taken of Kurt and him when they were walking Robert around Lima during the Thanksgiving weekend. He reached to take a better look at it. It was a beautiful picture. He could see the love and joy in Blaine's eyes and the smile on his own face was so bright and happy, too. He brushed his thumb over Blaine's face; he looked so gorgeous. He definitely needed to ask Blaine for a copy of that picture…

Before he had time to wonder once again where Blaine was, he got his answer. He noticed the sound of the shower only when it mixed with the sound of a wonderful singing voice.

_I've got you under my skin  
I've got you deep in the heart of me  
So deep in my heart, that you're really a part of me  
I've got you under my skin  
I've tried so not to give in  
I've said to myself this affair never will go so well  
But why should I try to resist, when baby will I know so well  
That I've got you under my skin_

_I'd sacrifice anything come what might_   
_For the sake of having you near_   
_In spite of a warning voice that comes in the night_   
_And repeats, repeats in my ear_

_Don't you know you fool, you never can win_   
_Use your mentality, wake up to reality_   
_But each time I do, just the thought of you_   
_Makes me stop before I begin_   
_Cause I've got you under my skin_

Kurt had been holding his breath during the entire song without even realizing it. after that, Blaine's voice stopped forming the words to hum the melody instead and Kurt took a shaky breath in and squealed as he rolled around in the bed. How could Blaine be so perfect?

How could Blaine actually be _his_?

After what had happened the night before, there was no way to deny it. They belonged to each other and Kurt wouldn't have it any other way.

He noticed the sound of the shower had stopped. Deciding he wanted to make breakfast for Blaine, he shot up and off the bed, reaching for his boxers and putting them on. He hesitated for just one second, and then picked up Blaine's hoodie, too, instead of his own clothes.

He walked barefoot to the kitchen. Robert was sleeping soundly on the couch but woke up when he noticed Kurt was up and followed him. Kurt scratched his ears. "Good morning, sweet boy. I'm gonna make breakfast for Blaine. Would you like something, too?"

Robert only wagged his tail faster and sat next to Kurt as he went through the cupboards and the fridge, trying to decide what to make. He started the coffee maker and then grabbed eggs, bread, milk and the other ingredients he needed to make French toast.

Kurt had just put the slices of bread into the pan when he felt two arms wrapping around his waist. He smiled as Blaine dropped a kiss to the curve of his neck.

"Good morning," he whispered, right next to his ear, and Kurt almost dropped the plastic spatula on the burner, as a shiver travelled down his spine.

"Morning," Kurt inhaled deeply. Blaine smelled like soap, shampoo, after-shaving and himself and it was a killing combination. "You smell wonderful."

"And you look wonderful," Blaine's hands roamed down his sides and settled on the hem of the hoodie.

"I hope you don't mind I borrowed it," Kurt said playfully. "It was cold when I got out of bed."

"You should keep it," Blaine answered, nosing at the base of Kurt's neck. "It looks better on you anyway."

Kurt put the toast on a plate before turning around. Blaine had another pair of sweatpants on and a Harvard t-shirt that had probably been washed too many times. His curls fell free and damp on his forehead and he had just shaved. He looked soft and kissable and Kurt didn't think that was fair when it was still so early.

Blaine leaned in for a kiss, but Kurt put two fingers on his lips.

"Morning breath," he muttered simply.

"I don't care," Blaine mouthed at his fingers until Kurt's entire hand felt weak and he finally dropped it. Then he moved forward and pressed his lips to Kurt's.

Blaine tasted minty and Kurt whimpered a bit into his mouth.

When they pulled away, Kurt was fisting Blaine's shirt and trying to drag him closer.

"Last night was amazing," Blaine said against his lips, low and a bit hoarse just from the memories. "I know I pretty much passed out after, but I wanted to tell you that."

"It really was," Kurt agreed with a smile and then he kissed Blaine, just a quick peck, once again.

"Thank you," Blaine caressed his back under the hoodie, and Kurt wondered when he had sneaked his hands down there, because he really hadn't even noticed.

"No need to thank me, I had a great time, too, you know?" Kurt's blue eyes were bright with playfulness.

"I'm not just thanking you for the sex, though," Blaine admitted, nuzzling against his cheek. "For dinner, for my birthday, for coming into my life. For loving me."

"You deserve everything, Blaine," Kurt said, more seriously, cupping Blaine's face in his hands to make sure Blaine looked at him when he said that and that he believed it. after one more peck, he grinned. "And you also deserve a breakfast that isn't cold, so we definitely should eat."

"I'm starving, so that sounds like an awesome idea," Blaine replied and moved away, causing Kurt to instantly miss the comfort his body brought him when it was pressed against his.

Kurt took everything to the table while Blaine put dog food in Robert's bowl. Then they sat together, sipping at their coffees. Blaine poured a bit too much syrup on his French toast, making Kurt frown. The frown, though, disappeared when Blaine gave him a sloppy, sticky kiss that made him laugh.

Kurt finally glanced at the clock placed on the opposite wall and hurried the coffee he still had in his cup. "Damn, I have to be at the bakery in forty minutes."

Blaine pouted. Kurt thought that if that was going to become a habit, he would have a whole lot of trouble getting stuff done, because he just _had_ to kiss him when he did that.

"I was hoping you would like to spend the day with me," Kurt continued. "I know maybe being there at the shop all day isn't the ideal way to spend your Saturday, but…"

"I'd love to," Blaine interrupted, the pout being instantly replaced by a smile.

"Good," Kurt smiled, too. "And I was thinking maybe you can bring Robert, too, so we can stay at my place for the rest of the weekend?"

"Perfect," Blaine's smile was so big Kurt was seriously concerned his face would split in two.

Kurt shifted closer to kiss him before standing up. "Can I use your shower?"

"Of course you can," Blaine nodded and stood up, too. "I'll take care of the dishes while you get ready."

Kurt took a step to go to the bathroom, but Blaine stopped him before he could go too far, grabbing his wrists and gently tugging him closer.

"I love you," he whispered against his lips.

Kurt's eyes were so full of love he could barely look at him without tearing up. "I love you, too."

They kissed. Again. Because they could, because it was something they did now.

"You still taste like syrup," Kurt giggled pleasantly.

Blaine moved in to kiss him again. He felt like he couldn't get enough. And judging by the breathless, eager sounds Kurt was making, he couldn't either.

"You're gonna be late, honey," Blaine muttered.

Kurt whined but pulled away, finally making his way out of the kitchen. Blaine stood where he was for a couple of minutes, still feeling the tingle of Kurt's lips against his, his heart beating so loud he was sure Kurt would be able to hear it from the bathroom.

He stood there, feeling the strangest sensation run through his veins, fill his senses and warm his skin. For the first time in what it seemed like a lifetime, Blaine Anderson was utterly and unmistakably happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song in this chapter is Frank Sinatra's I've Got You Under My Skin.


	11. Chapter 11

Kurt smiled and said goodbye to the customer who was leaving with his cup of coffee and opened the register to put the money inside. Blaine was standing right beside it, leaning against the wall and watching Kurt with a bright grin.

"If I hear another click while I'm talking to a customer I'll ban you from my bakery," Kurt said, trying to sound irritated, which didn't really work because his lips were still stretched into a happy smile.

Blaine picked up his camera again and shot another picture right in Kurt's face. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Stop it!" Kurt laughed, covering himself. "Now you're just wasting the film!"

"I could never waste film with you," Blaine answered softly, causing Kurt to peek in between his fingers. He took another picture of him because he looked simply adorable. "Your beauty needs to be immortalized in every possible way."

"Oh, shut up," Kurt rolled his eyes, but his cheeks were flushed. "If I knew you were going to act like this, I wouldn't have let you come with me."

Blaine laced their fingers together and tugged him closer so he could wrap his arms around him. "I love spending time with you, even if I have to watch you flirt with your customers."

"I'm _not_ flirting with my customers!" Kurt said, scandalized.

"Okay, you're just being overly caring…"

"I'm just trying to be nice. It's good for business…"

"Uh-huh," Blaine smirked and they were so close now, their lips mere inches apart. "So you're denying you flirted with me?"

"You're not a customer," Kurt bit his lip trying to hold back his smile.

"I was the first two or three times I came over," Blaine replied. "You kept taking my hand or touching my arm."

"Are you complaining?" Kurt quirked an eyebrow.

Blaine closed the little gap between them, his lips pressed against his. "Never."

"Mm, that's what I thought…" Kurt murmured, as he parted his lips. Blaine kissed him deeply and passionately, his hands twitching where they were resting on Kurt's back, as if not even that was enough.

Blaine pulled away way too soon. He wasn't used to kissing other men in public and it made him feel very nervous as if getting caught would be something terrible, when in reality, it wasn't. There was nothing wrong with two men showing their love for each other the same way any straight couple would. He needed to learn that, he needed to get used to it, because there was nothing wrong with that.

"So…" He said, his voice a bit hoarse. He cleared his throat. "What time are you closing?"

"Around six," Kurt curled his hands on the back of his neck, playing with the curls that fell there, and clearly not as worried about people seeing them as Blaine was. "Okay," Blaine nodded, making plans very quickly. "What if I take care of dinner while you finish down here?"

Kurt looked at him with interest. "You're going to cook?"

"Yes, I was thinking I could make that lasagna I promised you…" Blaine allowed one of his fingers to trace circles on Kurt's back. "You're always cooking for me, and for hundreds of other people, too, actually… so, I thought maybe you could relax tonight and let someone spoil you a bit."

Kurt almost purred in pleasure. "You know, that sounds fantastic."

Blaine kissed the tip of his nose before untangling himself from him. "Perfect. That being the case, I'm going to go grocery shopping to get everything we need for dinner."

"I'll take Robert for a walk while I'm at it," Blaine picked up his scarf and coat from where he had placed them on the back of a chair. "I should be back before you close."

"I'll be right here," Kurt leaned down against the counter, propping his chin on his hands and watching Blaine as he moved to the door. A new customer was coming in and Blaine nodded politely in greeting before disappearing down the street.

Kurt wasn't sure if it was the fact that they had just confessed each other that they were in love, or that they had shared a night so beautiful, so unique, so intimate, or if Blaine was just too amazing to describe him in words, but as Kurt followed him with his blue eyes fixed on Blaine's dark curls moving around in the December air, he somehow knew he would end up marrying that man, sooner or later.

For some reason, Kurt had the feeling Burt would approve.

* * *

As soon as Kurt started climbing the stairs up to his apartment, the smell of delicious food filled his nostrils and he inhaled in contentment. For a moment he had a vision of coming home to Blaine after a long day of work and he felt his heart stop beating. The rush of happiness that vision caused him hit him like a freight train.

"Hey!" Blaine had the biggest smile on his face and looked positively adorable moving around the tiny kitchen wearing Kurt's purple apron on top of his old t-shirt and sweatpants that he had evidently put back on after returning to the apartment. Kurt fell a little bit more in love with him in that moment.

"Hey, you," Kurt dropped the keys of the bakery on the table by the stairs. "How's the lasagna going?"

"Perfect, I just put it in the oven," Blaine answered as he cupped Kurt's face to give him a quick peck on the lips. "You look tired. There's plenty of time for you to take a bath and relax, if you want."

Kurt made a quiet humming sound. "That actually sounds pretty good."

Blaine pushed him gently towards the bathroom. "Then go. Tonight, your kitchen is _my_ kitchen. I have everything under control."

Kurt rolled his eyes but obliged, stopping by the couch to stare incredulously at Robert and Brownie who were cuddling together and sleeping soundly, before going to his bedroom to get a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt to change into after his bath. He filled the tub with warm water and sat in there for at least fifteen minutes, listening to Blaine wandering around on the other side of the door. He seemed to be singing something softly as he set the table and Kurt couldn't stop smiling. This was perfect. This was what he wanted in his life but he hadn't known it until now.

He wanted the closeness, the domesticity. He wanted he casual peck on the lips when he got home and the strong arms around him while he slept. He wanted the sounds of someone else around, of knowing he was not only living, but _sharing_. He wanted the smile on Blaine's face because he had never seen him like this before.

Blaine was even more beautiful when he was happy. Kurt didn't want to see him sad or upset ever again.

After about fifteen minutes, Kurt sighed and got out of the tub. He dried himself quickly and put on the clothes he had taken to the bathroom with him. He didn't style his hair, which made him feel almost naked, but considering Blaine had seen him with bed hair that morning, it would have been in vain to go through the trouble.

Blaine was opening a bottle of wine when he returned to the kitchen. The table was simply, but beautifully set and the smell of the lasagna seemed to have intensified. Kurt's stomach rumbled, which made Blaine look up and smile.

"Luckily for you," he said, putting the now open bottle on the table. "Dinner's ready."

"Great," Kurt replied, grinning in return. "I hope it tastes as good as it smells…"

Blaine put his hands on Kurt's shoulders when he wandered into the kitchen, clearly intending to help. He guided him back to the table and softly forced him to sit down. "It's clear you don't let people into your kitchen very often."

Kurt let his finger slide over the edge of his plate. "I just… this is weird."

Blaine paused, halfway between the table and the kitchen, the platter with the steaming lasagna in his hands. He seemed hesitant for a second. "Good weird or bad weird?"

Kurt sighed almost dreamily. "Amazing weird." Blaine relaxed visibly and put the lasagna on the table, reaching for Kurt's plate. "I've never shared things like this with anyone… it feels so homey."

"Well…" Blaine set the plate in front of Kurt before reaching for his own. "You know I haven't, either."

Kurt smiled lazily, watching as Blaine took the seat across the little table. "So… how does it feel so far?"

"Do I really need to answer that?" Blaine teased and Kurt took a good look at him.

Blaine was relaxed, his eyes bright, warm and trusting. The smile spread on his lips was wide and sincere and his body wasn't tense like it used to be all the time. Kurt's heart clenched almost painfully in his chest, but it wasn't for any bad reasons: it was because seeing Blaine like that brought him so much happiness he wasn't sure how to let it out.

Kurt's hand found Blaine's over the table and he squeezed it, gently. "I love you," was his answer.

It seemed to be the right one, too, because Blaine's face lighted up even more. "I love you, too." They just stared at each other for a few seconds and then Blaine sighed, as if having to break the moment was a real sacrifice. "Now, I'd like you to try my food before it gets cold."

Kurt chuckled as he grabbed his fork. He took a piece of lasagna on it. As soon as the food made contact with his mouth, he moaned quite embarrassingly. "Oh my _God_ , Blaine, this is fantastic."

"Well, thank you," Blaine laughed as he took a bite of his own. "That's a huge compliment coming from you."

"Mm," Kurt shoved a bit more of lasagna into his mouth. "I have to admit I was a little concerned that I would have to pretend to like it for the sake of our new buddying love, but… mm, you're not the absolutely lost case I thought you were going to be."

"Your lack of confidence insults me," Blaine feigned irritation, but it wasn't very effective since he couldn't stop smiling as he watched Kurt eat eagerly.

"Hey, it was you who said that you lived on take-out!" Kurt said after swallowing, reaching for his glass of wine. "It's not my fault. But I can totally work with this."

"Really, now?" Blaine seemed amused. That was something new, too. Kurt loved discovering every new sign of change in him.

"Yes. I can see some cooking lessons in your future," Kurt muttered with a playful smirk. "I'm gonna make a new man out of you, Blaine Anderson."

Blaine looked at him over the rim of his own glass of wine. He was serious, but there was warmth in his eyes that was sort of comforting for Kurt. "I have the feeling you're already doing that…"

Kurt had to lean over the table and kiss him. He just had to.

* * *

Blaine woke up the next morning in a mess of tangled limbs. Kurt's naked body was pressed against his, head resting on his shoulder, arm thrown around him, and his soft breath hitting the same spot on his neck in little puffs. It was a glorious way to start the day and Blaine brought him a little closer, dropping a few, gentle kisses on his forehead, inhaling the scent of his shampoo off his chestnut hair. He remembered that same smell from the first time he had been in Kurt's apartment: the mix of flowers and coconut.

He felt Kurt slowly stirring beside him, nuzzling against him in the last seconds of his sleepiness. Soon, a pair of dazed, stunning blue eyes was looking right into his.

"Mmmorning," Kurt mumbled, hiding his face again in the crook of Blaine's shoulder.

"Good morning, beautiful," Blaine traced the outline of Kurt's spine with his fingertips and letting the chestnut hair caress his lips.

"Love it when you call me that," Kurt said, voice muffled by Blaine's skin, still half asleep but entirely adorable.

"Well, that's exactly what you are, I'm just stating the obvious," Blaine answered, causing Kurt to giggle.

Kurt hummed in contentment, shifting even closer to Blaine. His morning erection brushed lightly against Blaine's thigh, eliciting a low, lazy moan out of him. All the sounds that Kurt had made the night before as they explored their bodies even farther came back to Blaine in a flash. They had been so delicious, so loud and eager… he needed to hear them again.

He flipped Kurt in a swift, elegant movement until he was lying on his back with Blaine on top of him, straddling him, but maintaining enough distance between them as to not provide any friction.

"I've always wanted to know," Blaine muttered, as he let his lips trail along Kurt's jaw, "what people meant when they talked about lazy Sunday morning sex."

Kurt swallowed, the movement of his throat catching Blaine's attention. "I guess there's only one way to find out…"

Kurt's hands went straight to Blaine's hips, gripping tightly and pulling him down. They gasped when their bodies were glued together, the touch intimate and delicious, but never close enough. They wanted to melt into each other, to become one, to lose the notion of where one started and the other ended.

Blaine angled himself until their cocks were trapped between their stomachs. Kurt arched back, pressing his hips up into Blaine's, slowly building a rhythm.

"God, the things you do to me, Kurt," Blaine whispered, leaning down to kiss the curve of Kurt's neck, never stopping the rocking of his hips. "You're making me addicted to you…"

"I don't see a problem with that," Kurt answered, spreading his legs wider so they could be even closer. "We should just do this all day…"

"As wonderful as that sounds," Blaine let his tongue graze a purple mark on Kurt's shoulder from the night before, "I'd like to do other things with you, too."

"Mm, really?" Kurt placed one of his hands on the small of Blaine's back to keep him where he wanted him, and let the other wander up so he could bury his fingers in his messy curls. "Like what?"

"Take you out on a date, maybe," Blaine lifted his head so he could look Kurt in the eyes. "If that's what you want, I mean."

Kurt licked his lips, his breathing starting to get heavier. "That'd be great… oh god, Blaine, there."

"Shit, Kurt, I should take a picture of you right now…" Blaine almost whined, unable to look away from the man beneath him. "You look so gorgeous…"

"Don't you ever dare take pictures of me while we are… _Blaine, harder_."

Words were lost and forgotten from that point on. All they could do was focus on breathing and thrusting against each other, feeling how the amazing pleasure started to build gradually, until it seemed to shoot through both of them. They clung onto each other, screaming with their mouths open and touching, their eyes locked and wild.

Blaine recovered first, although his body kept shaking in the afterglow. He propped himself up on his elbows and started placing kisses all over Kurt's face, neck and shoulders, everywhere he could reach.

"Fantastic, you're fantastic…"

Kurt chuckled lazily. "Someone's grateful for discovering Sunday morning sex…" He winced a bit when he noticed the stickiness between their bodies. He reached for the box of tissues on the bedside table. "Move, dummy, let me clean us up."

They stayed in bed for a little while, snuggling and sharing kisses every now and then. Finally Kurt got up to make breakfast and Blaine took a quick shower before joining him in the kitchen.

"I was serious, you know," Blaine said as he spread some jam on toast and handed it to Kurt. "I want to take you out on a date."

Kurt smiled as he placed a cup of coffee in front of Blaine at the table. "Where would you take me?"

"I'd like to do the classic date," Blaine shrugged and took a bite of his own toast. "Dinner and then go to a movie. Probably a horror movie, so I can have an excuse to wrap an arm around you…"

Rolling his eyes, Kurt took a sip of his coffee. "You're so ridiculous."

"You've told me that before."

"Because it's true."

" _Anyway_ ," Blaine accentuated the word to show he was ignoring Kurt's words. "I know today is not a good day to do any of that because you need to get stuff done for the bakery tomorrow…"

"I do, indeed," Kurt nodded in confirmation.

"But I was thinking we still can go somewhere nice and have lunch, take a walk around," Blaine chewed on his toast thoughtfully. "Whatever you want."

Kurt smiled, excited. "It sounds perfect. We'll do the classic date some other day."

They ate their breakfast while chatting animatedly about everything and anything at all, laughing and looking at each other as if all the other things in the apartment didn't exist, as if the noises coming from the street outside the window didn't reach their ears.

When they finished their coffee and toast, it was Kurt's turn to take his shower and Blaine took the time to walk Robert. He came back to find Kurt wrapped in a towel and trying to choose an outfit and surprised him with a bouquet of yellow roses. Kurt swooned as he buried his nose in the flowers to take in their scent and then kissed Blaine passionately. So passionately, in fact, that they ended up making another trip to the bed, where they got way too distracted to even care about Kurt's still wet hair on the pillows or Blaine's shoes on the cover. They didn't last long anyway.

Once they were finally able to untangle one from the other, they both needed another shower, which they took together. That didn't prove to be a good idea, either and by the end of it, Blaine was happy he hadn't made reservation at a restaurant because they would've missed it anyway. Not that he really cared. Because, as he pulled Kurt closer by tugging on the towel wrapped around his waist again and kissed him lazily, a smile spread on his lips, he really, really, _really_ didn't care.

Blaine took Kurt to a little Mediterranean restaurant not too far away from the bakery. They walked all the way there, Kurt's fingers laced with his inside of his coat's pocket. It was hard for Blaine not to look around and try to find judging glares, but he found it a little easier when he concentrated on the warmth of Kurt's hands or the glow of his stunning blue eyes, or the way the cold weather turned his pale cheeks pink. Blaine would've grabbed his camera and a shot a picture right then and there, but he didn't want to let go of Kurt's grasp.

It was a cozy little place and they chose a booth by the window so they could watch the snow falling outside. Blaine had fish and vegetables with garlic sauce ("You'd better brush your teeth before you kiss me again," was all Kurt had to say about it) and Kurt went for the spinach casserole. They tried each other's meals and Blaine slipped a bit of his fish into Kurt's plate, as they both bickered like an old married couple, without ever losing the smile. If their waitress found anything uncomfortable in their behavior, she didn't comment on it, and Kurt was grateful for it. He didn't need Blaine to experience a rush of homophobia while they were having such a nice time.

They walked to Kurt's apartment afterward. It was too cold to do anything else and they were both a little tired after not getting enough sleep the night before (not that either of them was complaining, though) and ended up cuddling on the couch, watching reruns of Project Runway, Blaine pressed against the back of the couch, Kurt pressed against Blaine's chest and Brownie pressed against Kurt's stomach. Robert was sleeping soundly on the floor. They took a nap together and later Kurt woke Blaine up with a cup of coffee before going downstairs to start baking for the next day. Blaine followed him, camera hanging off his neck, and spent half the time helping him (he had a gift for putting sprinkles on cupcakes, as if he had been born to do that, or at least Kurt said so when he was teasing him) and half watching Kurt, admiring his beauty, trying to capture it in a picture, loving how natural he was amongst the silver, shiny appliances and the flour spread all over the counter.

It had been a simple day, but Blaine knew he would look back to it in the years to come, and it would always remain one of the happiest days of his life.

* * *

The smile was still intact by the time Blaine arrived to work on Monday morning. He had stopped briefly by the bakery to give Kurt a quick kiss and promised to be there by lunch if the meeting he had scheduled for that morning didn't end late. He almost pranced his way out of the elevator and down the hallway towards his office.

"Good morning, Mr. Anderson!" Lucy greeted him, grinning, but looking a bit surprised.

"Good morning, Lucy," Blaine smiled at her. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Uhm," Lucy glanced at the window and then back at Blaine. "It's pouring with rain, Mr. Anderson."

Rain reminded him of Kurt, of the day they met, of their first time in Blaine's bed with nothing but the sound of rain and their own bodies demanding more. Rain was one of Blaine's favorite things now.

"I know," he nodded.

Lucy watched him, confusion evident in her eyes. "Okay…"

"Any messages?" He asked distractedly, still looking out the window, still thinking of the curves and the strong muscles of Kurt's body.

"Mr. Brown from the recycling company case called ten minutes ago. He said he needs you to call back. He has some questions," she said as she read the notes on her desk diligently. Then she cleared her throat and the next words weren't as light and cheery as before. "And, uhm, your father wants to see you as soon as you can."

That seemed to get Blaine's attention. He turned away from the window, all thoughts of Kurt immediately pushed to the back of his mind.

"Well…" he muttered, his voice turning back to the usual monotone, almost defeated voice. "Let's not keep the man waiting."

Lucy hated that she'd had to do that. She hated that she was the one ripping the joy from Blaine's eyes. But she had no other choice. That was her job.

Blaine walked into his office, took his coat and scarf off and put his briefcase down. He moved very slowly, dragging out the moment until he had to meet with his father, but also knowing Walter didn't like to wait and that he became more and more annoyed (and impossible to deal with) the longer he waited. So after sighing to himself, he went to his father's office.

Walter's secretary wasn't at her desk, something that wasn't unusual. She liked to wander around the building in her short skirts, showing off. Blaine didn't want to accuse her of being incompetent, but he barely remembered a time when he saw her doing her job. With one last deeply inhaled breath, Blaine pushed the door with the well-polished sign with his Dad's name and title and entered.

He wished fervently that he'd knocked as soon as he realized his mistake. He didn't know why he hadn't. The elegantly-furnished room, with all its expensive art objects on the walls, on the tables, on the shelves, seemed so cold Blaine felt a shiver down his spine.

The sound of the door opening had startled not only Walter, but also Katherine, who's face appeared from behind the desk from her position in what could only be the space between his father's legs. Maybe they could've given some sort of excuse, but her swollen red lips and the hand his Walter had on the back of her head, his fingers buried in the blonde hair in a tight grip made it impossible for them to pretend something else was happening.

"Oh my God," Blaine mumbled and he immediately wished he had stayed silent. The glare his father directed at him had to be the worst one yet.

The sound of a zipper closing made Blaine's stomach twist.

Katherine stood up as delicately as she could. "I'll go send those papers, Mr. Anderson."

Walter didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on Blaine, who moved aside when Katherine passed him on the doorway, shutting the door behind her. The temperature in the room seemed to drop a thousand degrees more, if that was even possible at this point. Blaine didn't even dare to move.

"So…" Walter started, surprisingly calm, lacing his fingers and leaning back against his leather chair. "Apparently I have to add _manners_ to the list of things you're terrible at."

Blaine closed his eyes, trying to find patience deep within himself. Of course Walter would brush this off as if finding him being given a blowjob by his secretary was Blaine's fault and not his. Of course.

"Dad, you…" he said softly, holding back the rage he wanted to let out.

"What I do or don't do isn't your business," Walter interrupted harshly. "And I would appreciate it if you respected my privacy…"

"Respect?" Blaine repeated, incredulous. "You're talking about _respect_? Dad, I think you…"

"Have I ever cared about what you think?" Walter spat coldly. "And especially not now after seeing the kind of company you resort to."

He should've known. Blaine should've known this was about the meeting with the Hummels on his birthday. "There's nothing wrong with…"

"There're a lot of wrong things with them, Blaine. Their status, their background… and that nasty fag you…"

"Don't!" Blaine's voice raised suddenly. "Don't use that word to refer to Kurt."

Walter studied Blaine in silence for a few seconds, thoughtful. "Is he your little whore, Blaine?"

Blaine's started to have trouble breathing, his chest was agitated and he felt his hands forming fists at his sides. "I'm warning you, Dad."

"Warning me, what?" He asked almost mockingly. "You'd better not have anything to do with that… that thing. I won't approve of you spending time with him in any way. Or any member of that family, for that matter."

"You can't…"

"Yes, I can. Don't forget that everything you are, everything you have, you owe it to me, Blaine," Walter said in a bored voice. "So I forbid it. You're already bringing shame to our family, but at least you've had the decency to keep it quiet. If someone sees you with that whore of yours, people will talk. Don't mess with me, Blaine."

At this point, Blaine's hands were so tightly clenched in fists that they hurt. His ears were buzzing and he was seeing red. He wanted to jump forward and punch his father in his arrogant face.

"So this is what you're going to do," Walter smiled in that humorless, fake polite way he used with the people he didn't like. "The firm's Christmas party is next weekend. You're going to find an appropriate date for it and you'll do your best to not be a huge disappointment for one damn night. Are we clear?"

Blaine didn't reply. He was too busy holding himself back. He knew better than to push his father's buttons, but he sure as hell was sick of all of this.

"Good," Walter interpreted his silence as an agreement. "Now get out of here, you've already ruined my morning enough."

Blaine didn't need to be told twice. He turned around and left the office after slamming the door shut behind him. Katherine looked at him with narrowed eyes as he walked straight to the elevator, ignoring Lucy calling after him, confused.

It was freezing outside. The cold and the rain seemed to seep through his clothes and reach his skin, his flesh, his bones. He shivered lightly, but he didn't stop. He didn't care about the weather. There was only one thing in his mind, an insistent urge to see Kurt's face. He knew that would make it all better, no matter what.

A car almost ran over him when he crossed the street running, but he didn't stop until he was at the bakery's door, which he pushed open, grateful to see it was empty, just like the day they had met.

Kurt was arranging some cupcakes on a plate to put in the displayer and looked up distractedly, with the usual smile he put on his face to greet his customers, always so warm, always so welcoming. It fell as soon as he saw the desperate look on Blaine's face.

"Blaine?" He said, concern tainting his beautiful voice. "Baby, what's wrong?"

Blaine's breath was heaving and he felt as if he had just run a marathon. He wasn't able to find the right words, so he just stood there, helplessly, as Kurt moved across the bakery towards him with his arms wide open.

Blaine melted into them, comfort instantly replacing the cold stabbing his body. He breathed in Kurt's sweet scent, loving the way it enveloped him, bringing back all the good memories from the weekend.

A few minutes passed without them saying anything until Kurt swallowed, nervously and began rubbing gentle circles on the small of Blaine's back through the fabric of his damp clothes. "You're worrying me, you know…"

"Don't," Blaine's voice was a lot more hoarse than he expected. He cleared his throat. "I don't want you to worry. I just needed you, that's all."

"Blaine, you just ran out in the rain without your coat on and collapsed against me," Kurt pointed out softly. "I think there's something you're not telling me. Did your father say something to upset you again?"

"Doesn't he always?" Blaine replied, his face hidden in the crook of Kurt's neck. "I wish the weekend never ended. It was perfect."

"There will be others," Kurt assured him, placing a kiss on this temple. "You can stay over tonight, again. Or I can come over to your place if you want, if it's easier than moving Robert from your apartment to mine all the time," he offered with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"I'd love to," Blaine leaned in for a kiss, the touch of their lips more than enough to make him feel a bit better.

When they pulled away, Kurt smiled at him. He just smiled, so gorgeous, so open, so caring and wonderful and Blaine could feel his heart jumping inside his chest at the sight.

"Would you be my date to the office Christmas party next weekend?" Blaine blurted out before he even thought about it. As soon as he realized what he had just said, anxiety filled him and he opened his mouth to take the words back.

"Really?" Kurt exclaimed, enthusiasm lighting up his entire face. He clapped his hands together in excitement. "Of course! Oh my God, Blaine, this is awesome! What should I wear? Is it formal? I have a new tie I've been looking forward to wearing since…"

Blaine couldn't hear Kurt's happy babble anymore. He had no idea what he had just done or why he had done it, but he couldn't tell Kurt it was a mistake, that they couldn't go together, that he couldn't be seen with Kurt in public. It would break his heart. It would make Kurt feel disappointed in him… and Blaine was tired of seeing disappointment in people's faces when they looked at him. He wouldn't be able to bear to see it in Kurt's beautiful blue eyes.

He tried not to let the panic show, but Blaine already knew it would be an absolute disaster.


	12. Chapter 12

When his arm reached to wrap around Kurt and only found emptiness, Blaine woke up, confused, in the middle of the night. He allowed himself a second to remember if they had made different plans this time and to look around and make sure he was in his apartment, but when all he saw was Kurt's bedroom in shadows, barely visible in the dim light coming in the windows, he frowned. He felt something shifting near the foot of the bed and it turned out to be Brownie, who apparently had sneaked in there sometime after they had fallen asleep. He was sure Kurt had fallen asleep before he had, but… where was he now?

Thinking maybe he had gotten up to drink some water or go to the bathroom, Blaine lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, waiting for him to come back, but when five minutes passed and Kurt still wasn't in bed next to him, he started to worry. He turned the lamp on and got out of bed, picking up a pair of sweatpants from the floor to wear.

The apartment was as empty as Kurt's side of the bed. Just one glance around was enough to know that. The only other living being there was Robert, who had invaded the couch and was sleeping soundly. But there were no signs of the man he had been holding in his arms not more than two hours ago.

After a few minutes of panic, he found him exactly where he should've looked for Kurt first: the bakery's kitchen. He had his apron on top of that hoodie he kept stealing from Blaine and his hair was disheveled. The counters were a mess of ingredients and flour and the heat of the oven instantly warmed Blaine when he stepped inside.

"Kurt?" He said softly.

Kurt jumped about a foot in the air and turned around to look at him with a hand on his heaving chest. "Oh Gosh, you scared me, Blaine."

"You scared me, too. I couldn't find you anywhere," Blaine answered, walking towards him.

"I'm sorry," Kurt smiled sweetly at him. "I just… I felt inspired. I had to come down here."

"You can always bake in the morning," Blaine said as he wrapped his arms around the other man's waist from behind, nuzzling into his neck, sleepily. "It's late, Kurt."

"I know. I'm sorry I woke you up…" Kurt arched a little back into Blaine a little, letting their bodies fit together like puzzle pieces. "I had an idea for a new recipe and wanted to try it as soon as possible."

Blaine stayed where he was for a few minutes, feeling the way Kurt's body moved against his as he kept kneading or mixing or doing whatever it was he was doing. He kept his eyes closed and inhaled deeply, taking in the wonderful scent of his skin. He smelled a bit like his own cologne, too, and that made Blaine smile.

Then something occurred to him. He shifted enough so he could see Kurt's profile. His blue eyes were focusing on what his hands were doing and there was a relaxed expression on his face, but Blaine still felt he needed to ask him. "Everything's fine, right? This isn't some sort of midnight baking therapy session because you're upset about something?"

The way Kurt chuckled immediately eased him. "No, silly. I really did have an idea for something new and I wanted to try it. You have nothing to worry about. You can go back to bed, if you want."

Blaine sneaked his hands beneath the hem of the hoodie and slid them up Kurt's stomach, loving how his skin felt under his fingertips. Kurt shuddered almost imperceptibly. "I'd rather stay with you, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Kurt turned his head to the side just enough to capture Blaine's lips in his.

"Mm," Blaine sighed happily into the kiss. "What are you baking?"

"Cupcakes," Kurt replied. He finished mixing what he had in the bowl and reached for a cupcake pan to start filling it with the batter.

"What's so special about these cupcakes that they couldn't wait until the morning?" Blaine asked curiously.

Kurt untangled himself from Blaine's embrace and walked to the other counter, where the first batch of cupcakes was already finished and sitting on a tray, cooling. He picked one out and offered it to Blaine. "Try it."

"Okay…" Blaine took the cupcake, with a pale yellow buttercream icing and something that looked a lot like golden syrup elegantly dripping from the top of it.

"It's a coffee-flavored cupcake with buttercream whipped with honey instead of sugar, and a little touch of syrup on top. Is it good?" Kurt tilted his head to the side, biting his lip, evidently anxious to get Blaine's approval.

"That's a really unusual combination," Blaine took a tentative bite and, after chewing on it for a couple of seconds, he closed his eyes and nearly moaned. "Oh my God, Kurt, this is heavenly."

Kurt smiled brightly. "Is it?"

" _Yes_ ," he shoved the rest of the cupcake in his mouth. It really was good. The combination of flavors seemed to go together extraordinarily well, the sweetness from the syrup and honey contrasting with the bitterness of the coffee and the softness of the buttercream. "Forget I ever said anything. Stay up all night and bake more, please…"

Kurt laughed and rolled his eyes. "Great. Those are my new Blaine cupcakes."

He blinked a few times, stupidly, convinced he had heard wrong. "Your…?"

"My Blaine-inspired cupcakes," Kurt explained. "Remember I told you I make things based on the people in my life? Like that vegan cake you refused to try one of the first times you came over?"

"I'll never forget the Rachel cake," Blaine nodded solemnly. "I had to admit it was absolutely delicious once I tried it a few days later."

There was a brief moment of silence and then Blaine was hugging Kurt tightly against his chest.

"It's so sweet of you, I just…" Blaine shrugged, visibly touched. "I don't know what to say."

"I'm glad you liked them. It would've been kind of awkward if you didn't," Kurt leaned in and nuzzled their noses together.

"Can I ask you why I'm the unusual combination of ingredients?" Blaine asked teasingly, his fingers tracing circles on Kurt's hipbones.

"Those are the things I taste when I'm with you," Kurt said, his cheeks blushing slightly. "You always taste like coffee when we kiss, every time. It doesn't matter how long it's been since you had your last cup. The syrup is because it reminds me of that morning at my parents' house when we were having breakfast. You had a bit of syrup in the corner of your mouth and all I could think about was kissing it clean…" Admitting that made Kurt's cheeks blush harder.

Blaine's heart was beating so loudly inside his chest he was surprised Kurt couldn't hear it. "And what about the honey?"

"Your eyes," Kurt muttered, looking right into them. "They're always a combination of brown and gold, but when… when we're making love, they look like they're melting and turning into pools of warm honey…"

Blaine had to interrupt his words because kissing Kurt seemed vitally important. He cupped Kurt's face in his hands and brought him in for a passionate kiss. Kurt barely had time to kiss back when he was pulling back, trailing small, yet hungry kisses along his jaw and the column of his neck.

"I love you, Kurt, I love you so much…"

"I love you, too," Kurt buried his fingers in the mess of curls that Blaine's hair was and tugged on them to make Blaine's lips return to his. He kissed him deep and open mouthed for a couple of minutes, until he was breathless. "Let me turn the oven off and we can go back to bed…"

"Yes, please," Blaine practically whined, and let Kurt drag him towards the oven, his lips always in touch with some part of him.

"God, Blaine, if I've known you'd react like this just because of some cupcakes, I would've baked the biggest goddamn cake in the world…" Kurt moaned when Blaine's teeth scraped against a very sensitive part of his neck. He reached behind him and turned the oven off. "Take me to bed. _Now_."

Blaine started pulling him out of the kitchen, but stopped next to the counter and grabbed the bottle of syrup that Kurt had left there after decorating the cupcakes. "Maybe you can kiss me clean tonight…"

Kurt groaned and pushed Blaine out the door. "Oh, I will. But you're the one washing my sheets in the morning, Anderson. I'm not going to be responsible for the mess I make…"

"Yes, sir," Blaine purred. He _purred_.

Kurt decided, as he hurried to get Blaine upstairs and into his bedroom again, that he would have to sneak out of bed to bake more often if this was the result.

* * *

Blaine tried. He really, really did. He told himself to gather enough courage to tell Kurt it was better to cancel their date to the Christmas party, but every time he opened his mouth to try and discourage him about it, Kurt would look at him with those beautiful blue eyes or he would mention something about the suit he was planning to wear, or he was talking about how it was better not to drink too much at the party because they both needed to be up early to drive to Lima and spend Christmas with Burt, Carole and Finn.

"I wish we could stay longer, but we'll have to come back the very next day," Kurt had said sadly, while they were snuggling together on the couch at Blaine's apartment, glasses of red wine in their hands and just lazily admiring the way the fire danced inside the huge fireplace in Blaine's living room. "It's a really busy time for me. I can't keep the bakery closed as much as I'd like to. I need a break and I'd like to stay longer with my parents."

Blaine had just nodded, promising himself he would tell Kurt soon.

But he didn't. There was always something that would make him stop just when the words were about to come out of his mouth. And by the time the day of the party finally rolled around and he was standing at Kurt's doorway, he realized it was too late. He realized he had been a coward and now he would drag Kurt into a situation that he knew wouldn't turn out well. Blaine closed his eyes and sent up a silent prayer to whatever powers were listening that they could at least avoid a conflict with his father. Maybe if they stayed in a secluded corner, just sipping champagne and trying not to talk to anyone, he could keep Kurt away from Walter.

He sighed, annoyed with himself. He couldn't do anything right.

The door opened and Blaine found himself breathless. He had seen Kurt wearing many flawless outfits, but there was something about Kurt in a black, fitted suit, white shirt and blue skinny tie that did things to him. He looked absolutely stunning, with his hair so perfectly styled, as he put his long black coat on.

"Hey," he said with a smile, wrapping a scarf around his neck, the same blue tone as his tie. "Sorry if I'm a little late, I forgot to buy another can of hairspray so I had to…"

"You look so beautiful," Blaine blurted out, eyes wide and mouth agape.

Kurt's smile only made him even more breathless. "Why, thank you. You do, too."

Blaine knew that he couldn't ever compare the way he looked to how Kurt looked tonight. He was wearing a black suit, white shirt and black tie underneath his coat. He hadn't really paid much attention to his clothes before leaving his apartment. He was too busy worrying about what could happen that night. The scarf around his neck was a red one Kurt had told him looked good on him.

"Shall we?" Kurt asked, closing the door.

"Yes," Blaine nodded awkwardly. "Uhm, the party is at a building just two blocks away from here. Do you want to walk or…?"

"Yeah, let's walk," Kurt wrapped his arm around Blaine's and moved close to him to keep warm. Blaine usually loved the proximity, but tonight it only added to the list of things to be worried about. If Kurt was exceptionally demonstrative at the party, it would be even more difficult to keep him off his dad's radar. Everyone would notice them. Everyone would look at them disapprovingly.

But when Kurt sighed in contentment against his neck, he couldn't say anything. He didn't want to upset him, or tell him something that could make him believe that Blaine didn't enjoy his closeness. He loved feeling Kurt so close. He just wasn't so sure his co-workers were going to be exactly accepting.

Kurt was talking, telling him about something related to the trip to Lima the next morning, but Blaine couldn't bring himself to pay attention to what he was saying. His brain was working faster than it had ever worked before, trying to come up with solutions for every possible problem they could encounter.

Kurt obviously noticed. They had stopped at a corner and were waiting for the traffic to stop to cross the street when he squeezed Blaine's forearm. "Are you okay? You're awfully quiet."

_This is it. This is my chance. I can tell him now and we can turn around, go to his apartment and forget about this. We can just go to Lima tonight, I can give him an extra night with his family_ , Blaine thought, feeling his stomach twisting with nerves.

The cars stopped at the red light and Kurt started pulling at him to cross the street. He seemed almost eager to get to the party. Blaine had no idea what Kurt was expecting to find there, but he obviously was oblivious to how hostile his co-workers could be. Blaine couldn't help but find his enthusiasm almost endearing. He wondered if Kurt went to parties very often, if he liked to dance, if he was expecting to dance with him tonight…

"Yeah, I'm okay," he found himself saying, without knowing why. "Just tired."

"Oh. Well, we won't get much sleep tonight, but you can take a nap in the car tomorrow," Kurt leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I promise I'll keep my singing to a minimum."

Blaine felt tempted to stop and bang his head against the nearest wall in frustration.

They reached the party venue quickly. Too quickly, in Blaine's opinion. It was a very elegant place and Kurt looked around the fancy lobby with interest as Blaine gave his name to the guy in charge of the guest list. Once they entered, they stopped to leave their coats. The room where the party was taking place was huge. There was music, though nothing exactly modern or danceable and waiters walking around, trays full of glasses of champagne, making sure everyone had a drink in their hands. There were lots of men in expensive suits and women in beautiful dresses around them.

"Want to get something to drink?" Blaine asked quietly, as he looked around, searching for a good spot to take shelter in for the rest of the night and go as unnoticed as possible.

"Of course," Kurt answered, smiling.

They only took one step before being intercepted for the first time.

"Mr. Anderson! Kurt!" It was Lucy, luckily, so Blaine sighed in relief. "You both look so handsome."

"Thank you!" Kurt said, grinning and looking at the woman before them. "I love your dress. Green is definitely your color, Lucy."

"Aw, that's so nice of you to say, Kurt, thank you. I'm glad to see you again. Give me a second so I can find my husband, I'd love to introduce you to him," Lucy started scanning the crowd, making Blaine feel more and more anxious.

Blaine's eyes never stopped moving while Kurt talked to Lucy and her husband. He seemed so at ease, so comfortable, like he was having a great time already. One of the waiters passed near them and Kurt grabbed glasses for both of them, pre-empting the excuse Blaine was about to use to go get drinks so they could keep moving instead of staying there.

"Hey, Anderson," a voice behind him said and he turned around. It was Brian Wallace, his father's partner. He was older than Walter, probably by ten years or so, but his white hair didn't make him look like an old man. There was something about the sharp look of his blue eyes that made him ageless.

"Hi," Blaine said dazed, glancing back at Kurt, who was still distracted. "Hi, good evening."

Wallace studied him in silence for a second, clearly judging him. "I've just heard your father asking about you. You should probably find him."

"Oh, yeah, I will," Blaine swallowed. He noticed a hand on his back and realized Kurt's conversation with Lucy and her husband had ended. He looked at him. Kurt was just standing there, with one of his beautiful smiles, without a clue of how uneasy Blaine felt.

"I don't think we've met," Wallace said, looking at Kurt with a cold curiosity. Blaine saw the man's eyes wandering all over Kurt and he didn't like the expression on his face.

"Kurt, this is Brian Wallace, my father's partner," Blaine explained, emotionless. "Mr. Wallace, this is Kurt Hummel."

"Hummel. What do you do?" Wallace asked, brusquely, the hint of disapproval already tainting his words.

Kurt remained serene. "I own a bakery."

Wallace quirked an eyebrow, slightly amused. "A baker. That sounds like a really manly profession."

Kurt didn't lose the smile, but his voice was lower, almost suggestive and teasing when he spoke again. "Well, I really like working with my hands."

Blaine choked. On air.

Wallace's face changed into a vaguely disgusted one. "Yes, I imagine so."

"I…" Blaine stuttered, nervously. He gripped Kurt's arm maybe a bit too tightly. "I should go find my father, now. I… it was nice seeing you, Mr. Wallace…"

Wallace didn't even bother replying. He shook his head and walked away in the opposite direction from where Blaine was dragging Kurt.

"Oh, Gosh, I'm sorry," Kurt muttered, biting his lip. "Was that too much? Did I get you in trouble?"

"No, it's just… Kurt," Blaine stopped and looked at him, "no one here really likes me or accepts me. And you're really brave talking back to people like that, but I…"

"I know," Kurt smiled at him, a bit regretfully. "I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry."

This was it. This was the perfect moment. Blaine finally found his courage. "Maybe we should just go…"

"Blaine!"

Blaine closed his eyes in dread when he recognized his mother's voice. Kurt realized Blaine wasn't exactly happy because the grip on his arm became almost painful. Blaine turned slowly, not able to force a smile on his face.

The woman standing next to them was a bit shorter than Blaine but her pose was so sure and elegant that she seemed taller. Her dark hair was held together in a tight bow at the back of her head and the long, navy blue dress made her look sophisticated. Kurt approved of her choices, although her face reminded him of a stone: it was all tight lines, as if a smile hadn't appeared on her lips in a very long time.

"Mom," Blaine said softly, his hand leaving Kurt's arm immediately, although her eyes followed the movement, not missing a thing. "You look amazing."

"Thank you," she said, clearly indifferent. "Your father has been looking for you. You're late."

"I'm not, I was held back by Lucy and Wallace," Blaine explained. He was tense, Kurt could feel it. He desperately wished he could reach over to rub his hand up and down Blaine's back to comfort him. "I'll find Dad right away."

"And you are?" Amanda Anderson turned to Kurt, who felt immediately singled out under the woman's gaze.

"Kurt Hummel," Kurt answered, extending his hand to shake hers, but she never took it. Uncomfortably, he let it fall.

"You father told me you were going to bring a date, Blaine," Amanda said, sharply. "Where is she?"

Kurt gritted his teeth as Blaine did everything he could to hold back the desire to scream at the top of his lungs. It had been a mistake. Coming here had been a horrible mistake. Kurt and he could've been in Lima already, having dinner with the Hummels, having fun, feeling welcomed and accepted, instead of letting people treat them like this…

"Kurt is my date," Blaine announced, sounding a lot calmer than he actually felt, not sure when his brain had decided to let the words leave of his mouth. He felt Kurt placing a hand on his hip and squeezing in support.

"I hope I just heard you wrong, Blaine," another voice said and they all looked around to find Walter Anderson walking towards them. "Because, funny as it may seem, I just thought I heard you say _this_ was your date."

The bitter, humorless way in which his father laughed threatened to make Blaine's ears bleed.

"There's no reason to be rude, Dad," Blaine said as firmly as he could. "You told me to bring a decent date. I brought my boyfriend."

They all saw the fury flashing in Walter's eyes. It was so evident that Kurt didn't have the time to enjoy the fact that Blaine had referred to him as his boyfriend for the first time.

"You are the one being rude right now, Blaine," Walter replied, low and menacingly, "trying to shove down our throats how disgusting you are and…"

"I hate interrupting this charming Kodak moment," Kurt said then, raising his voice a little bit higher than necessary to talk over Walter. "But Blaine and I need to get going. We're getting up early tomorrow to go celebrate Christmas with our family."

Blaine's heart clenched in his chest at Kurt's words. He too didn't have enough time to enjoy it before his father ruined it.

"Do whatever you want with your pathetic, filthy life, fag," he spat in Kurt's face, getting threateningly close to him. Kurt didn't step back, though. He stood there proudly, his head high. "But we are not going to allow you to…"

"To what?" Kurt cut him off, quirking an eyebrow. "To make Blaine feel accepted and happy? To give him the love you two clearly won't give him?"

"Love," Amanda laughed dismissively. "This isn't about love. This is about perverting Blaine. What you two do is disgusting and we won't let it stain our family's name."

"You think too much of yourself, don't you, Hummel? You're proud of being an abomination. You're proud that everyone knows you like to be fucked like some cheap whore," Walter muttered hoarsely, without yelling, but having the same effect as the insults slapped Kurt in the face. "What did Blaine promise you? Do you ask him to buy you nice things in exchange for spreading your legs? Are you getting from him everything your poor, pathetic father wasn't able to give you?"

"Don't you dare talk about my father…" Kurt said, his hands forming fists at his sides.

"Interesting. You don't deny that you're a cheap whore," Walter said, smirking, while Amanda covered her mouth in disgust. "Well, you know what? You're wasting your time, because if Blaine insists on disgracing his family like this, he won't see a cent of our money. He can forget about being an Anderson."

"Can you stop?" Blaine exclaimed, not caring about who was listening to them anymore, wishing he could just block his ears with his hands and rock back and forth until they all disappeared. "Stop talking to Kurt like this. He's…"

Amanda looked around, evidently embarrassed when she noticed a few people were looking at them. "Blaine," she huffed in annoyance. "It's always the same thing with you. Disappointment after disappointment…"

"Of all the things you could've been, you chose to be a queer," Walter looked down at his son, scowling. "And just when I thought it couldn't get worse, you decide to bring this…"

"I'd love to stay and be insulted some more," Kurt interrupted, eyes glaring, hands forming fists so tight that his knuckles were white, "but I'm afraid that it got really boring after _cheap whore_." He smiled the phoniest smile that had ever appeared on his face. "So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to leave before this night gets any lovelier than it already has."

He turned around, not even waiting to see if Blaine followed him. Blaine actually intended to, but found himself unable to when his father's hand closed around his arm.

"If this is something you're getting out of your system, do it behind closed doors," Walter said, a warning edge in his voice. "If I ever see him around you, I won't be as nice as I was tonight. I can be a lot more unpleasant than this. Keep that in mind, Blaine."

Blaine's jaw was so tense he was afraid he wouldn't be able to move it ever again. "You're not touching Kurt, Dad. I'm not letting you hurt him."

Walter sighed, annoyed. He didn't even _care_. He was tearing his son apart and he was absolutely indifferent to it. He had humiliated Blaine once again, not only in front of everyone they worked with, but also in front of Kurt, the most important person in Blaine's life.

His parents walked away from him then, immediately engaging in conversation with another couple, as if nothing had happened. Blaine stood there, frozen, until the screams in his head lowered enough to let him react. Then he turned around and followed after Kurt, though he knew the other man was probably already half way to his apartment.

Snow was falling heavily outside when Blaine left the building. He looked around, hoping Kurt had waited for him, but there were no signs of him. Anxious, needing like never before to just hold him in his arms, he started running, not caring about the people passing by, not caring about the traffic, or the cold or anything else, because all he wanted was Kurt. At the end of the day, when everything sucked and he needed a break, when he needed a little light shining on him, he just wanted Kurt.

He only stopped when he arrived at the bakery and noticed the kitchen lights were on. Of course. Of course that's where Kurt was. Blaine wasn't surprised to find him there. It was, after all, Kurt's favorite place in the world, the place where he felt connected to his mother.

What did surprise him was the absolutely chaotic state of the kitchen when Blaine went inside. Kurt had managed to create a huge mess in the few minutes he had been there. The counters were full of pans and different bowls with ingredients, half of the surfaces and the floor were covered in flour and Kurt's appearance wasn't as perfect as it had been less than twenty minutes ago. His hair was disheveled, as if he had buried his fingers in it several times; his tie was crooked and loose, the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up and he had taken his suit jacket off, abandoning it on a stool by the door with his coat and scarf. Blaine wished he could see his face, but Kurt had his back turned to him.

Before Blaine could even open his mouth, Kurt was talking.

"I'm sorry I ran out like that, I just…" he sniffed. Oh, _God_ , he sniffed. Was Kurt really crying? "I didn't want to be around anyone when I started breaking down like an idiot."

"Oh, Kurt," Blaine sighed, feeling his heart clenching painfully in his chest, crossing the kitchen in a few long strides until he was close enough to wrap his arms around Kurt from behind. "I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to go there with me. I knew this was going to happen, I knew it, but I was stupid and I…"

"No. Why do we have to stop going places just because people are narrow-minded? Staying away only makes things easier on them, and makes homophobic assholes believe they're right, that we shouldn't show our love to the world…" Kurt shook his head and then turned around in Blaine's arms. His eyes were a little red, but he wasn't crying anymore. "Hiding isn't going to solve anything, Blaine. It'll just make them think they can control us."

Blaine took a few steps back, away from him, looking down at the floor. "But we can't do this either. We can't shove it down their throats, we can't force them to look at something they think is offensive and…"

"Are you listening to yourself right now?" Kurt asked, eyes wide in shock. "You sound like your father, Blaine. We're not shoving anything down their throats. We're just being ourselves…"

"Well, that's the problem. They've never liked it when I was being myself," Blaine said, frustrated, starting to pace around the kitchen. "This just… this just makes it all worse."

All Blaine could think about was Kurt. How he'd had to stand there and hear Walter insult him. How he didn't deserve any of the things he'd had to put up with. How Blaine had done nothing to step up for him and defend him. how much of a coward Blaine had been, letting his parents walk all over him once again, only this time it was worse, so much worse, because he had allowed them to do what they were used to do to him, to Kurt.

Beautiful, amazing, kind Kurt who had done nothing but help him, be there for him, show him what it felt like to be loved. Kurt, who had taken him to Lima to meet his parents so Blaine could see what a real family was like. And this was what he was getting in return?

He knew he wasn't good enough for Kurt. He had known that since the first time he had set eyes on him. He didn't have anything to give him, nothing to offer, because he wasn't enough of a man to stop caring about what his parents thought of him. Because he felt he had some sort of obligation to them. Because they were all he had in the world, even when all they did was bring him down. Because he knew that, when Kurt eventually got tired of him and left him (and it _was_ going to happen), he would look around and find nothing but emptiness. He would be alone.

Blaine was too scared to be alone.

But, more importantly, he was scared to be the one causing Kurt pain. He never wanted to see tears in those stunning blue eyes and know they were there because of him.

He hadn't noticed Kurt was talking. He was saying something about not letting his parents' sick comments influence his opinions and his life in general. But Blaine was too busy trying to control his breathing, trying to ignore the lump in his throat, trying to ignore the desperate screams of his desperate heart.

"I want us to break up," he said, his words sounding too loud and brusque in the otherwise calm kitchen.

The silence fell between them. Kurt closed and opened his mouth in confusion several times, frowning, as if he was figuring out what he could possibly mean, as if he had never heard of something like that in his life before.

"Blaine, I…" Kurt stopped and swallowed, shaking in head, without understanding. "Why?"

It was the one question Blaine didn't want to hear. The one question he didn't want to answer, because he didn't want to lie to Kurt. But if he said the truth ( _I'm breaking up with you because you deserve better_ ), he knew Kurt would fight him until Blaine couldn't keep up his façade anymore. Kurt would hold on to him, because he knew he was saving Blaine by being with him. The problem was that Blaine had no way to save him if Kurt got caught up in all the same crap that surrounded him.

"Because I can't do this," Blaine whispered and he had to dig his nails into his own palms to hold back the urge to cry.

"Blaine, if this is because I talked back to your parents, I…" Kurt took a hesitant step towards him. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I just couldn't just stand there and take what they threw at us."

"I was so embarrassed…" Blaine covered his face with his hands, turning his back to Kurt.

Kurt inhaled shakily. "By me? You… were embarrassed by being there with me?"

That wasn't what Blaine had meant at all. He was embarrassed by himself, by being such an idiot, being so weak. Embarrassed by his family, of the judgmental assholes his parents were, of how they had looked at Kurt as if he was nothing more than garbage to them. He was embarrassed by everything but Kurt. Kurt, the only light in his life and he was about to let him go because he was too afraid staying with him would mean Kurt's light would go out.

"Yes," he lied, his voice wavering with pain.

He could see Kurt's eyes slowly filling up with tears and it almost broke him down completely. This was exactly what he didn't want: hurting Kurt. But it was necessary. The way he could hurt him wouldn't be as bad as whatever else Walter might throw at him. Kurt would get over it really soon. He would move on and Blaine would spare him the humiliation of another encounter with Walter Anderson.

"You said you loved me," Kurt muttered softly.

Blaine swallowed. This would be the worst lie of them all. "How can I know that? I've never loved anyone. I thought I loved you, but I was wrong."

Kurt gripped the counter behind him tightly, needing something to ground him. "I don't believe you. Blaine… why are you doing this?"

"I'm sorry," Blaine avoided his eyes. He just couldn't look into them anymore. "I'm sorry, Kurt. I don't want us to be together anymore…"

"You're lying," Kurt closed his eyes, refusing to listen. "I know you, Blaine, this is just another thing you're stopping yourself from having because it makes you happy, and they hate seeing you happy! But I don't! I love you and I want to make you happy every day of your life!"

"Kurt…"

"No," Kurt crossed the kitchen in a few steps and stood in front of him, cupping his face in his hands and forcing Blaine to look at him. "You don't need them. You don't need people as toxic as them in your life, Blaine. Please, don't shut me out, not now, not after everything we've gone through together…"

Blaine needed to get out of there. He couldn't see Kurt's face for one more second without giving up and falling into his arms. "I'm grateful for what you did for me. You're a great friend…"

"I'm more than that and you know it…" Kurt said fiercely.

"I can't. You want a relationship and I can't give you that," Blaine took a step back, away from him. "I… I have to go."

"Blaine, please, don't do this…"

"Tell your parents I'm really sorry I can't go this weekend, after all," he mumbled, his gaze fixed on the floor. "Merry Christmas, Kurt."

He turned around and started walking out the kitchen, forcing himself not to look back, not to see the broken expression on Kurt's face. He could hear him calling after him, begging him to wait, to talk, to stop lying… but Blaine just closed his eyes, told himself he was doing the right thing and left.

The tears started falling as soon as he was alone in his car. The farthest he got was around the corner and then he had to park and let the sobs that threatened to break his body escape.

He had let himself fall in love with Kurt even though he had known all along something like this would happen. Even though he had told himself a million times that Kurt deserved much better. Even though he knew he wasn't made to be in love. He had too many flaws, too many fears, too many cracks in his heart that he couldn't heal. Kurt had tended to them, covering them in Band-Aids, but that wasn't enough to cure them, to close them, to keep him from feeling pain.

He had been such an idiot for believing he could run away from the life he had always had. He had been an idiot for thinking he could have Kurt.

It took him forever to get to his apartment. He dragged himself into bed, but once there, the bed seemed too big, too cold, too empty. He took his pillow and a blanket and slipped down to the floor, curling up on himself, the tears still falling down his cheeks.

He couldn't sleep that night and Blaine wondered if he would ever be able to sleep again without Kurt's warm body wrapped around his.

Sadly, he realized he would have to get used to doing a lot of things without Kurt again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can make your own Blaine cupcakes with [this recipe](https://heartsmadeofbooks.tumblr.com/post/22797869685/recipe-for-the-blaine-cupcakes) ♥


	13. Chapter 13

Burt Hummel had never considered himself the brightest of men, but he was proud of one thing: he could read his son like an open book. So as soon as Kurt got out of his car the next morning, face pale, eyes red and swollen and looking as if someone had shot his cat, he knew something was wrong. And when he noticed Blaine's absence, he thought he knew exactly what it was.

He decided to wait until Kurt was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee clutched in between his hands to say anything. He was glad Carole wasn't home. That would give them enough time to have a good father/son conversation.

When he finally opened his mouth to say something, Kurt beat him to it.

"I know what you're dying to ask, so I'll just say it," his son muttered, his voice emotionless. "Blaine broke up with me."

His fatherly instinct told Burt to find Blaine and kill him for making his little boy look so miserable. The reasonable man in him, however, seemed suspicious. Why would Blaine break up with Kurt? He had seen them together. Blaine loved Kurt more than anything else in his life. Something wasn't right.

"What happened?" He asked, calmly.

Kurt shook his head. He looked exhausted and Burt wouldn't have been surprised if he told him he hadn't slept all night. He decided to scold him later about driving all the way to Lima in that state.

"He lied. I know he lied…" Kurt whispered, completely lost in his own thoughts. "I could see it in his eyes. He didn't want to leave me. It hurt him to leave…"

"Kurt, you're not making any sense," Burt extended his hand over the table and put it on top of his son's, which were shaking around his coffee cup. "Start from the beginning, Kurt. Come on."

So Kurt slowly started telling his father everything that had happened at the party the night before and afterwards at Ellie's. He didn't leave any details out and Burt gritted his teeth when Kurt repeated Walter Anderson's words. He had done nothing during Blaine's birthday party because Carole and Kurt had asked him not to make things worse, but he promised himself one thing right then and there, as he saw his son's eyes filling with tears on the morning of Christmas Eve: the next time he had Blaine's father in front of him, he was going to give him a piece of his mind. And, if no one stopped him, probably a piece of his fist, too.

That bastard.

"Listen, kiddo," Burt sighed after Kurt went quiet. Deep in his blue eyes, Burt could see the mix of feelings Kurt was experiencing, not only pain and confusion but anger and desperation, too. "I think you're right. I think Blaine lied because he didn't know what else to do. He's crazy about you and he probably didn't know what to do after last night. He panicked, thinking this was the best way to go and he made a mistake."

"So…" Kurt sniffed and looked up at him, frowning. "Do you think he really does love me?"

"Kurt," Burt leaned closer over the table, serious. "There's a picture of his face when he looks at you next to the word _love_ in the dictionary."

Kurt chuckled lightly as he rolled his eyes and wiped his tears away. "What should I do, then? Should I call him?"

Burt stood up and took his empty cup to the sink. "I don't know. Maybe you should give him some space, Kurt. It seems to me that Blaine needs to analyze his life and decide what's more important to him. He won't ever be able to completely be with you if he doesn't resolve his issues with his family first."

Kurt sighed, frustrated. "I wish I could keep him away from them. They do nothing but humiliate him and bring him down all the time…"

"But he's not a child. He's an adult man who needs to make decisions on his own," Burt replied, coming behind Kurt to put his hands on his son's shoulders in support. "The only thing you can do right now is wait."

"I hate waiting," Kurt whined, as he used to do when he was just a little boy and it suddenly hit Burt how much he had grown up. It seemed as if he had just blinked and his little son was now a man. How did that happen?

"We all do, kiddo," he laughed, squeezing his shoulders. "But the best things that happen to us always make it worth the wait."

"I just hope he's alright," Kurt rubbed his temples with his thumbs, trying to force himself to relax. "I know how he gets every time something happens with his dad and now that I'm not there…"

"He'll come find you if he needs you," Burt assured him. "He knows where you are. So just let him decide when he's ready to be with you…"

"I miss him, I can't sleep without him. Last night my bed was so…" Kurt mumbled and immediately stopped when he realized what he was saying out loud. "Oh, God. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that…"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear a thing," Burt smiled at him. "Now, why don't we go get Finn and go out for lunch? I haven't had a nice day with my boys in a while."

The enthusiasm on Burt's face was so evident that Kurt couldn't say no to him, even when all he felt like doing was going up to his room to listen to sad love songs as he cuddled Brownie to his chest. "Sounds fantastic, Dad."

He grabbed his coat and his scarf and wrapped himself in them, adjusting them tightly around his body, but knowing that, no matter how many layers he put on, he would never feel as warm as he felt in Blaine's arms.

* * *

Kurt reluctantly went downstairs on Christmas morning when he heard voices coming from the living room. He thought he heard Finn arriving for breakfast and to open the presents together, so he forced himself out of bed, knowing his brother would start whining and complaining if he was denied food and gifts for too long. However, he didn't feel like showering, or styling his hair, or dressing up as he usually did before meeting the rest of his family in the kitchen, so he just slid on a pair of sweatpants and Blaine's hoodie, which he had packed before they broke up and he had cried a bit when he discovered it in his bag the night before when looking for is pajamas.

Finn seemed taken aback by his appearance when he stepped into the kitchen, but a quick, subtle gesture from his mother stopped him from commenting on it. Burt clapped him on the shoulder as he dropped down on a chair.

"Merry Christmas, kiddo," he said affectionately.

Kurt's voice lacked his usual cheerful tone. "Merry Christmas."

He didn't pay much attention to what was being said during breakfast. He silently picked at the pancakes Carole had put in front of him as he let his mind wander. He couldn't stop thinking about Blaine. Where was he right now? What was he doing for Christmas? Was he staying alone with Robert at his apartment or was he going to spend it at his parents' house, like he hated to do? Was he miserable or was he at least okay? Was he thinking about him? Did he miss him as much as Kurt missed him?

"Stop playing with your food, Kurt," Burt said softly, snapping him out of his trance.

"Sorry. I'm not hungry," Kurt replied, not lifting his head, his eyes still fixed on the plate without really seeing anything.

"If you don't like it, I can make something else," Carole offered, glancing uncertainly at Burt. Neither of them knew exactly what to do. Burt had thought that after the conversation they'd had the day before, Kurt would at least be a little better, but there was no point in hoping things would go back to normal. Not without Blaine.

"No, really. I'm not hungry," Kurt managed a tiny smile that he hoped would put his parents at ease. It didn't work.

"Well, why don't we move to the living room and open up some presents?" She proposed, enthusiastically. Finn nodded as he swallowed another bit of pancake.

There was a huge Christmas tree next to the fireplace. It smelled so good that Kurt couldn't help but inhale deeply. Some ornaments were new, some belonged to Carole's collection, but most of them had been bought by Elizabeth many years ago. Kurt still remembered cold days decorating the tree with his mother, and how she always let him put the star on the top. He had to be lifted by Burt so he could reach, and every year she would kiss his head and whisper in his ear, "one day you'll be tall enough to put it up there yourself." Elizabeth had never seen that day.

There was a little mountain of presents under the tree, all wrapped in shiny papers and with big bows on them. Finn grabbed Brownie in his arms when he noticed she was trying to attack one of the boxes and sat her down on the couch next to Kurt.

They exchanged presents and Kurt really, really tried to look excited when he opened his to find the boots he had been pining over for weeks but hadn't allowed himself to buy because they were insanely expensive.

"Sweetheart," Carole whispered, seeing how affected he was, not missing the way he just stared at the present in his lap as if he was trying to remember what boots were for. "Everything will be alright. You have to trust Blaine. He'll come back to you when he's ready."

Kurt nodded as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

He tried to keep himself busy for the rest of the day. He went out for a walk with Carole, they all watched a movie together, he cooked Finn's favorite dessert… but when he stopped for a second and allowed himself to breathe, he realized Blaine was still there, always on his mind. So he went into the bathroom, locked the door behind him and took his cellphone out of his pocket. He couldn't wait anymore. He was done waiting.

The phone rang and rang as he clutched it tightly, begging for Blaine to pick up, but he never did. It went to voice mail after a minute and Kurt sighed sadly.

"This is Blaine Anderson. I can't get to the phone right now, but leave your message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you."

It sounded so serious, but it was his voice and Kurt felt a shiver down his spine. It hadn't even been a day and he already missed it like crazy.

"Blaine… it's Kurt. I just… I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas. I… I hope you're having a nice day." He paused, not sure what to say, willing the tears to stay away. "Everyone misses you here. Dad and Carole are really sad that you didn't come with me… _I_ miss you. So much, Blaine. I… I know why you did what you did, I know why you said those things, but I don't care. I miss you. I love you. Please, don't do this…"

He ended the call before he said something he would regret. He put the phone back in his pocket and waited for it to buzz to let him know he had an incoming call. He waited all day.

The call never came.

* * *

Saying Blaine had a horrible Christmas was an understatement. If it wasn't because he knew something even worse was waiting for him at the office the next day, he would've felt relieved when it was over.

He had only gone out for a few minutes to walk Robert (and only after the dog begged and whined and almost peed all over the carpet) and the cheer of the holiday he had found in the streets, where the kids were running around the park showing off their shiny new bikes and pretty dolls, where the couples walked hand in hand, wrapped around each other to keep warm, had made him feel so miserable that he walked right back to his apartment and dove face down on the couch as soon as he was inside. He hadn't moved in hours, letting the apartment go dark as the time passed, as the night took over, as Christmas day came to an end.

When his phone started buzzing with Kurt's call, he almost gave up and answered it. His hands were shaking, desperate to grab the phone and talk to him, to hear his voice, anything. He couldn't believe how vital Kurt had become to him since he'd had him in his life… and now he had to learn how to live without him all over again. Blaine's heart refused to go back to being lonely, but he knew it was for the best. Kurt didn't need any of this crap. He had a nice life, a wonderful family, his charming bakery… he was gorgeous and he would find someone else who loved him soon enough. Blaine needed to be strong.

Kurt had left a voicemail and Blaine felt tempted to listen to it, but he decided against it. He deleted it before he did anything stupid.

He wished he had been smarter at the beginning. He had known that getting closer to Kurt was a bad idea, that he would end up hurting, that he wasn't made to be in a relationship… and now Kurt was also paying for it and Blaine could barely stand to think about it. He had screwed up so bad and he had no idea how to fix it. He wasn't one to fix things, he had never been, or else he would've done something to fix his mess of a life when it wasn't where it was now, so beyond repair.

After another sleepless night, Blaine arrived at the office, forcing himself to not even glance in the bakery's direction. Even going to work was harder now, not only because he knew he would have to deal with more crap from his father, but because of Kurt's proximity. He was so close and so far at the same time and Blaine's skin tingled, desperate to feel him again.

A stack of files to be read was waiting for him on his desk and the morning seemed to fly by. He had trouble concentrating fully on his job, but at least he had something else to fill his thoughts.

Lucy came over a few times and seemed genuinely concerned when she noticed how bad he looked: he hadn't even bothered shaving, he had forgone his gel hair and he had thrown his suit on without care. For someone who always looked sharp and elegant, it was a shock to see him. And it was also obvious something was wrong.

"Anything I can help you with, Mr. Anderson?" She asked politely, but the slight frown of concern on her face told him she wasn't asking about anything work-related.

"No, thank you…" Blaine said, his voice tired.

"I can cancel some of your meetings for today if you don't… uhm, if you don't feel very well," Lucy offered, hesitant.

Blaine felt tempted to tell her to do just that, but he didn't want to give his father another reason to raise hell around him. "It's okay, Lucy, I'm fine."

She nodded, still not looking convinced at all, before leaving him alone again. Blaine sighed and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. He was exhausted after not sleeping at all since the night of the party. He eyed the couch he had there in his office, thinking maybe he could take a nap there, where there were no memories of Kurt, where his pale, stunning body had never laid. Maybe he was safe there.

He had just stood up from his desk chair to move over to the couch when the door opened once again, this time without the preceding soft knock that he was used to hearing every time Lucy came over. It was slammed shut right away and Blaine inhaled deeply, bracing himself for what was to come.

"Nice to see at least you came to work today," Walter said, haughtily. "Not that it really matters, because the quality of your work can only be compared to the quality of the company you choose."

Blaine turned around to face the window, closed his eyes and counted to ten internally. "How can I help you, Dad?"

"What happened the other night at the party can't ever happen again, Blaine," Walter answered sharply. "The entire office pool is talking about it. I had to hear whispers about how my son went to a business party with a homo all morning."

"I'm sure you've already added it to the list of things you're going to use to make me see what a disappointment I am," Blaine replied, emotionless. When he opened his eyes, he immediately glanced at the bakery. Kurt seemed to choose that particular moment to walk close enough to the window that Blaine could see a glimpse of him as he cleaned one of the tables that were by the door.

The pain went through his body like a bolt of lightning.

His words didn't help to appease his father's anger. "I don't know how many times you need to hear me say that I won't let you put this family in disgrace! I don't care what it takes, Blaine, but I will make you obey the rules! Start behaving like an Anderson and don't you dare bring that f-…"

"I broke up with him!" He screamed, because he couldn't take it anymore, because every word stung too much, because he just wanted to curl up on the floor and cry, because he wanted to run back to Kurt's arms and beg for forgiveness. Because he was sick of everything, of his life more than anything, and he just wanted some silence. He wanted at least one minute of silence, where he didn't have to listen to Walter's hate or to the memory of Kurt calling after him, asking him to stop, asking him not to leave. "I'm not with Kurt anymore! There, are you happy?"

He hated the smirk that appeared on Walter's face like he had never hated anything else in his life. "Well, that's a start. I wouldn't say I'm completely happy, but it's good to see you're at least trying to… _straighten_ up, so to speak."

Blaine let his forehead rest against the cold glass of the window, feeling like he had no more strength left. "You'll never let _me_ be happy, will you? It's always going to be like this…"

"You have nothing to complain about, Blaine," Walter shrugged, as if he couldn't understand why his son was so stubborn. "If you're unhappy, that's because you want to be. Your mother and I have given you everything."

Blaine didn't even answer. What was the point in telling his father that what he and his mother had forgotten to give him was the only thing he had always wanted? What was the point in telling him that Kurt had been the one who had given him the love he had always wanted and that he had let it go because of them, because he was a coward, because he was an idiot?

"Now that you don't have anything to distract you, I'd like you to finish the documents on the Mason case that I asked you for last week," Walter smiled, that same smile that Blaine had been seeing on his face for the last twelve years, the one that didn't reach his eyes, the one that lacked warmth and love. "Give them to my secretary this afternoon."

Walter left without another word and Blaine stared out the window, trying to catch another glimpse of Kurt, but he had moved out of sight. He finally sighed and went back to his desk, deciding to finish the documents he needed to get done for his father.

He didn't leave his office until he had no other choice but to go home. It was already dark outside and it was snowing. He stepped out of the building and instinctively looked across the street towards the bakery. The lights were still on and his eyes found Kurt's when the slightly taller man walked to the door to flip the sign to close. Both of them gasped and stared at each other for what seemed a very long couple of seconds. Then Kurt was rushing to unlock the door and coming out to the street, without a coat, without a scarf, not caring about anything but Blaine and Blaine's heart broke once again.

He didn't give him time to do much more than that. As soon as he saw Kurt come out of the bakery, Blaine took a step to the side, swallowing, willing the tears not to fall and finally turning around and practically running to his car. He forced himself not to look back. He would've seen Kurt's completely devastated expression if he had.

* * *

As the days passed, Blaine spiraled down more and more into a depression and desperation. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't eat, he could barely breathe without Kurt. He had never thought love could be that way. He had no idea love could take over your entire life and reduce it to nothing. He looked around and he felt as if colors had been drained out of his world. Everything was a sad shade of grey. He couldn't find a reason to keep moving every morning and he discovered all the songs he heard on the radio made no sense, the melodies were all discordant and the lyrics had no rhyme. Blaine had thought his life before Kurt had been bad.

He clearly hadn't ever thought how bad it could be _after_ Kurt.

It was getting harder to go to work every day or to even leave his apartment. It was getting harder to pass by the bakery when he was going to the office and not stop and talk to Kurt. It was getting harder to not know how he was, what he was doing, if he had been up baking too late at night. It was getting harder to not look for him when he needed a hug after a particularly unpleasant comment from his father.

The weekends were just as bad. Yes, he avoided Ellie's, but the emptiness around him didn't help. He was alone. He had no one. The silence seemed to fall over him, crushing him. Sometimes he wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to stand all of this.

At midnight on New Year's Eve, he closed his eyes and imagined he was kissing Kurt again. It was as if his lips had memorized every single time they had touched Kurt's and the kisses replayed in his head like a movie. When he opened his eyes, he was smiling, but the smile died as soon as he noticed the darkness around him, the distant sound of parties and people celebrating seemed foreign to him and he found himself wondering if Kurt had kissed anyone, if he had started the year by someone else's side. It made his heart clench in pain, but he knew he was stupid. Even if Kurt didn't have anyone already, it didn't mean he wouldn't soon. And Blaine couldn't blame him.

The exhaustion caught up with him a couple of weeks later. He wasn't sure what exactly it was that made him snap. He just knew he couldn't take any more of the loneliness and the misery. It was a cold Saturday morning and he jumped into his car and started driving without direction. He just drove, as if he could get away from everything, as if he wasn't carrying all his troubles with him on his shoulders. He drove and drove and then he suddenly blinked and he was parked in front of Hummel's Tires and Lube, without knowing how the hell he had gotten there.

He gripped the steering wheel with more force than necessary, not knowing what to do. Why had he gone there? Maybe because that weekend he had spent with the Hummels had made him feel more at home than he had felt in his entire life? But he had no right to be there now, not after what had happened with Kurt. Burt probably hated Blaine by now and Finn was surely eager to follow through with what he had promised Blaine that day in the kitchen and kick his ass for breaking his brother's heart…

He needed to leave. He needed to go back to Columbus and get away from there because he wasn't welcome anymore and he…

There was a knock on his window and, a second later, he was looking into Burt Hummel's eyes.

"Hey, buddy, are you going to stay there all day or did you actually drive all the way here for a reason?"

Blaine swallowed nervously, hating himself for being so stupid. He opened the door and got out of the car, fidgeting with the keys, not really knowing what to do. "H-hi, Mr. Hummel."

Burt put a hand on Blaine's shoulder, making him flinch a bit. The older man frowned but didn't say anything about it and he gently guided him inside. "How have you been? We haven't heard from you in a while."

"I know," he said, uncomfortably. "I've… been busy."

Burt took him to his office and closed the door behind them, signaling Blaine to take a seat at the desk. "That doesn't really answer my question, buddy."

Blaine closed his eyes as he leaned against the desk. He could feel his emotions boiling inside of him, making his body shiver slightly. The sounds from the shop and the people working on cars reached his ears and seemed to make everything even more real. The way, the patient, kind way Burt was just looking at him was almost surreal.

"I don't think I have a good answer for that," he mumbled, looking down at his fingers as if they were the most interesting thing ever. He bit his lip. "I'm sure Kurt told you what I did…"

"He told me you lied to him," Burt answered simply, crossing his arms over his chest, nonchalantly. "About not loving him."

Blaine gaped like a fish out of the water, awkwardly. "I-I… don't. I don't. I thought I did. I was confused. I-I don't love Kurt."

"Keep telling yourself that, boy," Burt muttered with something that resembled a smirk, and Blaine knew there was no point in fighting him. Kurt' dad could see right through him. He was too weak and tired to keep up the façade any longer. "Why don't you tell me why you're here?"

Blaine sighed. "I miss Kurt."

"Well, it would've been a lot more productive for you to go over to his place, then, because he's not here," Burt took the seat in front of him and sat back on the chair, getting comfortable.

"I just… I just want to know how he's doing," Blaine admitted, frustrated with himself for not being able to stay away. "I want to make sure he's alright."

"He's not," Burt said simply, causing Blaine's stomach to shrink horribly. "He's sad and lonely and he misses you just as much as you miss him."

"He'll get over me…" Blaine closed his eyes and tried to erase the image of Kurt being absolutely miserable out of his mind.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Burt shook his head. "Look, Blaine, I know Kurt better than anyone else. I knew the moment he called me to tell me he was bringing a friend over for Thanksgiving that you meant to him a lot more than he wanted to admit. And once you two were here, seeing you together… I just knew. He is in love with you and when Kurt loves someone, he truly does. He won't get over you, at least not easily, not without suffering a lot first. It will take him months, years even."

Blaine felt the anguish settling inside his chest. "I don't want him to suffer. That's the last thing I want."

"Then go back to him, bud."

Blaine wished it could be just that simple. He wished he could just knock on Kurt's door and kiss him as if nothing had happened, but he knew things wouldn't go back to normal just like that. He had failed Kurt because he wasn't able to get over his daddy issues. He wouldn't be able to be with him completely if he didn't learn how to be a real man first.

No. What the hell was he even thinking about? No. "Kurt deserves so much better than me. Someone who can really be there for him, someone who's brave enough to walk down the street holding his hand without caring who's going to see him…"

"And why can't you be that guy, Blaine?" Burt asked, tilting his head slightly to the side. "I don't see why you can't learn to be with him that way. You know exactly what you need to do."

Blaine swallowed again, nodding slowly. "Yeah. But I'm too afraid to do it."

"You can overcome fear, Blaine. It takes a while and it's hard, but it's possible," Burt said in a soft voice. "But living without the person you love? It's not that easy, you know. And it doesn't _get_ easier." He took a deep breath. "I lost Kurt's mom. I lost her, I didn't have a way to hold onto her, I had no other choice, I had to let her go. If you're letting Kurt go it's because _you_ want to, not because it's the way it has to be. He's waiting for you and you're not going to get him."

The lump that had been forming in Blaine's throat only got heavier and he felt the urge to cry, but stopped himself, knowing he had already embarrassed himself enough in front of Burt.

"I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told Kurt when he said he was staying in Ohio because he wanted to be close to his family," Burt leaned over the desk, closer to Blaine. "One day, we'll be gone. Carole and me, we're not gonna be here. And if Kurt stays here for years, just to be close to his parents, he's going to miss a lot of opportunities and he's going to wake up in ten, fifteen, twenty years, and he's going to be alone. He'll want a family of his own, and he won't have it because he wasn't strong enough to let go of us in time to live his own life. The same thing will happen to you, Blaine."

"My parents aren't like you. They're not like you and Carole at all," Blaine sniffled, without being able to help it.

Burt reached out and squeezed his arm with a bitter smile on his face. "I know, buddy. But it's the same deal. You're so worried about your family, about what your parents are going to say or do, that you're not living your own life. You're letting it go. At least Kurt's risking it all for a loving family but…, and, I'm sorry I have to say this, Blaine, what are you risking everything for? When have your parents given you anything in return?"

Blaine looked away. Burt's words seemed to be stabbing him in the chest and he found himself speechless, breathless. No one had ever told him something like that. No one had ever told him he could put his happiness first. It seemed something so simple and yet… Blaine had never felt like he could do it.

There was a knock on the door and after a second, one of Burt's employees peeked inside to ask Burt for help with a car. Burt sighed and stood up.

"You can stay here as long as you need to, if you want to think about it," Burt offered, walking towards the door and standing there for a moment as he took a good look at Blaine. "But maybe there's somewhere else you should go…"

Blaine managed to make his lips form the ghost of a smile. "Not yet," he answered in a low, thoughtful voice. "I think I really need to solve some things first, but I…" he looked up, his hazel eyes fixed on Burt's. "I'm in love with your son, Mr. Hummel. He's the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"Then do what you need to do and go get him," Burt said, pointing at him with a finger.

Blaine stood up and walked to the door, too. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, son," Burt clasped him on the shoulder affectionately and this time, Blaine didn't flinch. "You can come back here anytime, you hear me? This is your home, too."

Blaine's smile turned a bit watery. "You don't know how much I appreciate it, sir."

"It's Burt," he corrected as Blaine took his keys out of his pocket when they reached his car. "You're part of this family, Blaine, want it or not. There's no need to be so formal."

Blaine was glad the shaking in his hands wasn't so evident when he opened the door of his car to get inside. He couldn't get any more words out, afraid he would end up sobbing in Burt Hummel's arms. They said their goodbyes, Burt went back inside to work on whatever car was waiting for him, and Blaine started the long drive back to Columbus, sure of two things: he was going to change his life and he was going to get Kurt back.

He was done being scared.


	14. Chapter 14

Blaine spent the rest of the weekend thinking about his conversation with Burt and sleeping. Now that he had a light of certain hope shining in the horizon with the possibility of getting back together with Kurt, he felt slightly better and was at least capable of a few hours of good sleep.

He started thinking about how to tell his parents that he was taking control of his own life and doing everything he could to be happy, hopefully without completely breaking the relationship off with them. They were still his parents and even though it seemed impossible, Blaine couldn't let go of the dream he had buried deep inside of him where they finally accepted him and loved him like he'd yearned for all those years. But still, he'd made a decision: he would try his best, but at the end of the day he would put himself first. He would put Kurt first.

He had never been more terrified and excited at the same time in his entire life. He was finally doing something to get out of that huge hole of unhappiness he had lived in. The only thing Blaine needed was to find the best way to explain to his parents.

A grown man should _not_ feel as intimidated by that idea as he was.

* * *

Kurt didn't want to bake anymore.

At first, he only stopped making all of Blaine's favorite pies, cakes and muffins. Then he realized certain ingredients reminded him of a particular kiss, of Blaine's shampoo, of that especially sweet morning they had spent eating breakfast in bed, of Blaine's attempts at cooking, of everything. It was no use. Blaine was everywhere.

One morning he woke up and actually considered not opening the bakery for the day, but ended up deciding against it when he realized he would probably spend his time moping around the apartment, which had now turned into a mess since Blaine was gone. There were tissues everywhere, he barely bothered picking up the empty cups of coffee or tea, there were clothes everywhere… it was so unlike Kurt.

All his strength was focused on hanging on and being as patient as possible as he waited for Blaine to come back to him, but his energy was slowly running out. He wasn't so sure any more about whether Blaine would come to realize that there was no point in being apart. He was even starting to believe that what Blaine had said had been true: maybe Blaine didn't love him, after all.

But then he realized he couldn't afford to think like that. Thinking Blaine didn't love him only made his entire world crumble and he couldn't allow it. He had no idea when Blaine had gotten so deeply under his skin, when he had become of the crux of his whole existence, but now… now Kurt could see how much he needed him. He could clearly see how lonely his life had been until Blaine had arrived in it. Kurt had spent years and years convincing himself he didn't needed a man by his side to be happy, but Blaine had changed everything.

Finn had dropped by one Sunday to visit. He knew his brother was depressed because Blaine had broken up with him and he had decided to check up on him. The problem with this idea was that he had brought Puck with him, too.

"Look, Hummel, this is easy," Puck said as he shoved three cookies into his mouth at the same time and started chewing. "You need to get over this dude and the Pucksaurus…"

"Is he still calling himself that?" Kurt asked, covering his face with his hands and staring pleadingly at his brother.

"… has the solution," Puck continued, ignoring him. "Next Friday, you are going to a party with me."

"Why do all your plans include parties?" Kurt wondered, picking at a loose thread on his sweatpants, and oh God, he was wearing sweatpants when he had company. He definitely had hit rock bottom.

"I'm gonna get you so much dick that you'll have no option but to forget about that jerk," Puck nodded, sure of himself.

Kurt sighed. "Noah, I appreciate your kind, yet extremely creepy offer, but I'm gonna pass."

"Are you kidding me? I'm giving you a magic solution here, Hummel!"

"Sleeping around won't make me forget Blaine," Kurt answered, standing up and taking the empty plate of cookies to the kitchen to get more, because it was obvious Finn and Puck would continue eating. "Actually… I don't want to forget Blaine…"

"Maybe you should, bro," Finn said with a sad smile.

Kurt swallowed and looked out the window at the building in front of him. The window of Blaine's office was nothing but a black square, empty at least until the next morning. "Not yet."

He had no idea when it would be too late to give up on his hopes, but he felt like he needed more time. _Just a bit more_ , he said to himself, _just a bit more time and then I'll let it go_.

The thing was, he wasn't really sure he could actually let it go any more.

It seemed as if Blaine was there to stay, it didn't even matter if he was really there or not.

* * *

It started out as a normal, boring day. Blaine woke up like he did every morning, had a cup of coffee as he watched Robert eat, then put him on his leash and took him for a quick walk before he took a shower and put one of his many suits on. He drove to work, stopping for a moment to stare longingly at the bakery, hoping to see Kurt for just a second and then went up to his office, where he started reading information for his cases, took phone calls, had meetings with clients. Blaine wasn't expecting any more than that to happen.

He had just finished eating the chicken sandwich that Lucy had bought him from the place around the corner (God, he missed Kurt's food so much) and was getting ready to read what looked like the biggest file in the pile when his phone rang. He distractedly reached out and pressed a button.

"Yes, Lucy?"

"Your father wants to see you in his office, Mr. Anderson," she informed him politely. "His secretary said something about a new case."

Blaine sighed. "Fine. Thanks."

Reluctantly, he stood up, brushed off the few crumbs that had fallen on his pants when he was having lunch and left the office, directing a small nod at Lucy as he walked down the hall to meet his father.

Katherine wasn't at her desk when he arrived, so he knocked quite loudly on the door. He had already learned his lesson and didn't ever want to find Walter in any other compromising positions. A voice instructed him to come in, so Blaine took a deep breath, as he did every time he was about to suffer through his Dad's company and opened the door.

Katherine was pouring a cup of coffee for Walter, moving around the office in her tight, tiny skirt with a smile that looked too plastic for Blaine's taste. He paused just past the doorway and stood there, patiently.

"You wanted to see me?" He asked in a calm voice.

Walter grinned and pointed towards the chair on the other side of his desk. "Yes, Blaine, please take a seat."

Blaine thought it must be a very important case to make his father look so smug. There had to be a lot of money involved. He sat down as Katherine crossed the room, swaying her ass rhythmically (and so, so intentionally) and left.

"There's a new case?" Blaine asked, hoping to get this over with so he could go back to his own office. He never felt comfortable in this room, surrounded by all of his father's expensive possessions. It was one of the largest offices in the whole building and Blaine constantly felt like he was being swallowed by the furniture, by the leather-covered books, by the walls. He hated it.

"Indeed," his father's smile seemed out of place in his usually serious face. Blaine shifted awkwardly in his seat, not really sure what was going on. "I think you'll be very interested…"

Walter pushed a button on his phone and Katherine's voice purred on the other end. "Yes, Mr. Anderson?"

"Send my client in, Katherine," he said, his eyes never leaving Blaine's face.

Blaine looked over his shoulder when the door opened, almost hoping to find someone he knew, something that would explain his father's weird behavior. The boy that stepped in, though, was a total stranger. He had blonde hair and was wearing a letterman jacket. He looked strong and healthy and Blaine was sure he couldn't be over nineteen years old.

"Blaine, this is Ryan McAllister," Walter and Blaine both stood up. He extended his hand to the kid before he turned to Blaine. "Ryan, this is my son Blaine Anderson. I think he'll be perfect to help us with this case."

Ryan shook Blaine's hand. Blaine felt even more confused. His father was somehow praising him? Since when did Walter consider him perfect for _anything_?

The three men took their seats before Walter started talking again. "Ryan, I would like you to tell Blaine why we're here. Tell him everything from the beginning."

"Okay," Ryan nodded. "So… a couple of weeks ago, I went out with my roommate. We watched the game at a bar and then we came back to our dorm. I go to Columbus, I'm in my second year. We were walking across campus towards the building when we saw this guy named Henry Brown I know from my Philosophy class. He was standing next to a car talking to someone. Then we realized it was another dude and they were kissing."

Blaine felt his breath catching in his throat. His head jerked to the side and he glanced at Walter, who was still smiling and looking at him impassively.

"What happened then, Ryan?" Walter asked nonchalantly.

"Then the guy I don't know got in the car and drove off," Ryan continued. "Henry stood there, finishing a cigarette since we're not allowed to smoke in the building. My roommate went inside because he needed to pee, but I stayed back, telling him I wanted to smoke, too."

Blaine's hands were shaking. He didn't like where this was going.

"Keep going," Walter encouraged him.

"Then we were alone and I just told Henry what I thought," Ryan shrugged, as if he wasn't saying anything out of the ordinary. "I told him that what he was doing was disgusting and that if he wanted to be a faggot I didn't want to see it."

"Dad…" Blaine whispered, his hands gripping the edge of his chair tightly.

"What did Henry do?" Walter said, ignoring his son.

"He started talking about how he had the right to be whoever he wanted to be and… I don't really know, he said a lot of shit about equality and all that nonsense…" Ryan rolled his eyes, completely indifferent. "So I punched him in the face so he would stop talking. He tried to hit me back, but I pushed him, he tripped and fell back."

Blaine was starting to feel sick, but he seemed paralyzed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He couldn't believe what his own father was forcing him to hear.

"He wouldn't shut up about how I was ignorant and how I had no right to tell him who to love and I just got so sick of listening to all that crap. So I punched him again. And when he still wouldn't shut up, I started kicking him, too. I didn't stop, I was so angry, so disgusted…"

Blaine stood up abruptly. "Just… just stop."

"No, Ryan, keep going," Walter said softly. "What happened after that?"

"After a while, I heard a crack and I stopped. He was screaming and crying and begging me and I thought maybe I had finally made him understand that he was wrong," Ryan was glancing between Blaine and Walter now, with curious eyes. "So I told him I hoped he was cured enough for God to forgive him and I left."

Blaine couldn't breathe. He could feel his body shaking and his legs were weak, as if they weren't going to hold him up much longer. "Henry…" he mumbled. "What happened to Henry?"

"Someone must have heard him screaming because an ambulance showed up shortly after. The crack was his spine," Ryan explained, with no sign of remorse in his voice. "He had a few internal bruises and he's cruising around in a wheelchair now. Apparently no one knows if he'll be able to walk again. That ought to straighten him out, right?"

Blaine's head was buzzing, he was shivering and heaving and he was sure he'd be sick soon. He turned to his father. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm not doing anything," his father raised his hands in a gesture of innocence. "I'm just having Ryan fill you in on our new case."

Blaine shook his head immediately. "No… no, I'm not helping you with this…"

"You know, Blaine," Walter said, thoughtfully. "I'm thinking that maybe if those kids at that Sadie Hawkins dance had done a better job of beating you up, you would've straightened up too…"

"How can you even…?" Blaine felt his stomach twisting, his heart pounding painfully in his chest, his ears buzzing, his vision blurring.

"Of course, maybe a sound beating isn't enough for some people," Walter continued, so calm it was surreal for Blaine, who was just standing there feeling every nerve in his body about to explode. "People like that Hummel fag, for example, they have no solution…"

"Don't," Blaine warned, through gritted teeth.

"There's only one thing to do with people like him," Walter smiled. He _smiled_ , "kill them."

Blaine didn't even know what he was doing. One second he was trying to hold himself up and the next one he was rounding the desk and punching his father in the face. The chair flipped over and fell, taking a shocked Walter down. Blaine grabbed him by his clothes to force him up and push him against the nearest walls. Walter's eyes widened, as blood trailed down his nose and dripped over his chin. Blaine couldn't even hear Ryan yelling for help or the door opening when Katherine rushed into the office. He was gone. He was furious and so, so done with everything.

"I'm so sick of you," Blaine rasped, his voice hoarse, unrecognizable. "I've put up with a ton of crap from you all these years, but I'm done. You've gone too far. You can't play with people's lives like this…"

"You, that Hummel kid and all the other fags like you are an embarrassment…" Walter choked out. Blaine's hand was pressing against his throat without him even realizing what he was doing.

"Kurt's much more man that you'll ever be," Blaine spat. He had never felt so out of control in his entire life. He had no idea where the strength to hold his father up against the wall came from. "And I'd far rather be with him than be your son…"

"Blaine…" Walter croaked, his voice low and scratchy for the lack of air.

"I quit. Now you can have what you always wanted," Blaine pressed against him a bit more tightly. "Haven't you been telling me for years that you would've rather not had a son at all than me being gay? Well, you're not my father anymore, so now your dream has come true."

Blaine let go of Walter so suddenly that he fell to the floor in a mess of limbs. Blaine took a few steps back, still breathing heavily.

"Walter!" Katherine screamed as she rushed to get to his side and help him up.

Blaine turned around. Ryan had been watching the whole scene with wide eyes and flinched a bit when Blaine looked at him.

"I hope you spend the rest of your life paying for what you did," Blaine ground out, feeling the adrenaline wearing off, but the disgust remained.

He walked down the hall with fast, long steps, not stopping, for once not caring the people around him that stared at him in curiosity, or the whispers that followed him. Lucy stood up, concerned, when he arrived at his office, but he rushed inside and went into his private bathroom, dropping on his knees and throwing up violently into the toilet.

Everything that had just happened kept replaying in his head, fueling his retching, making him feel sicker and sicker every second. He couldn't believe that his father had gone as far as he had. He couldn't believe he had finally stood up to him and told Walter what he had been bottling up since he was a teenager.

There was a soft knock on the door and he angled his head to the side to see who it was.

"Mr. Anderson?" Lucy said, uncertainly, softly. "Are you okay?"

He shook his head before lowering it back into the toilet, where he threw up some more. He cleared his throat and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket, not even caring anymore. "I can't… not anymore… I quit."

To his surprise, Lucy smiled slightly. "Good for you, Mr. Anderson. You need to get out of here."

She helped him stand up when he was done and rinse out his mouth, letting the bitterness of it all go. Then he went back to his office with shaky legs and put his coat and scarf on. He looked around, realizing he didn't care about any of the things he had there. He didn't need to take any of that crap with him. He was done.

Lucy pulled him into her arms, surprising him a bit. "You're a good man. You deserve so much better than what this place can offer you."

"Thank you, Lucy," he mumbled against her shoulder. "I'm sorry I'm leaving you like this."

"Well, you have my cellphone number," she pulled away and smiled at him. "If you start your own firm, call me. You're the best boss I've ever had."

He thanked her and hugged her again and then he practically ran out of the building. He stopped when he reached the street, thinking about going straight to Ellie's and pulling Kurt into a kiss, but he couldn't do it. Not now, not while he was a mess and was still freaking out inside. So he went for his car and drove to his apartment… or what used to be his apartment.

It was his parents'. They had bought it for him when he graduated from Harvard and came back to Ohio to work with his father. Like everything else in his life, even the place where he lived had been chosen by them. That's why it had never been a real home. Because it was just another thing, another part of his life that they had controlled to fit into what they expected of him.

Robert wagged his tail happily to see Blaine earlier than usual but instantly tilted his head to the side in confusion when the man started going around the apartment, frantically picking up the things that were dearest to him, putting them in bags and boxes. His cameras, the pictures of Kurt, his favorite books, some clothes, he started throwing everything together, packing up as quickly as he could. He didn't want to be there anymore. This was the breaking point. This was where he changed everything. This was when he started _living_.

But once the bags and boxes were in his car with Robert sitting quietly on the passenger seat, he wondered: living, where? Yes, he wanted to break free from everything, but what was his plan?

His first thought was Kurt. He knew he could go to the bakery, tell him he loved him and Kurt would gladly let him stay with him. But Blaine was still shaken, he felt lost and anxious and he didn't want to do anything to ruin things with Kurt before he even got the chance to fix them. And Kurt could even say no, he could be hurt and angry at him and Blaine wouldn't blame him…

He had trouble breathing again as he reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone. He went through the contact list until he found the one that had just popped into his head. He closed his eyes and dialed it, hoping for the best.

The voice on the other side sounded distracted. "Hello?"

"I punched my dad in the face," Blaine blurted out.

There was a pause. "You…"

"I lost it. I punched him." Blaine panted, gripping the steering wheel tightly with his free hand.

"Blaine, breathe."

"I can't. I'm freaking out. I did it. I just… I was so tired, I…"

"I said, breathe. Where are you?"

"In my car. I… I told him I quit, then I came to my place, grabbed my stuff and…"

"Are you going over to Kurt's?"

Blaine shook his head, trying to control his breathing. "No. No, I can't let him see me like this."

"Do you think you can drive here to my house? Or do you need me to pick you up?"

"I… I think I can do it," Blaine swallowed and tried to force himself to inhale and exhale normally.

"Good. Then I'll be waiting for you. Take your time, stop for a while if you think you can't drive and meet me there, alright?"

"Y-yes, okay." Blaine mumbled shakily.

"And Blaine, everything will be fine."

For once, Blaine believed those words. "Thank you, Burt. I'll see you soon."

Burt Hummel smiled on the other side of the line. "You're welcome, buddy. Now come home," he said, so that's exactly what Blaine did.


	15. Chapter 15

The Hummel's kitchen smelled like homemade food and Glade vanilla candles, but it was the scent of Burt's grease-stained coveralls that really comforted Blaine. He had just told Burt what had happened at his father's office and the older man was pacing from the table to the counter restlessly, mumbling under his breath. Blaine was only able to catch a few words, like _bastard_ and _unbelievable_.

"Burt," Carole said from the stove, where she was working on dinner. "You're gonna stress yourself out. Remember your heart…"

"My heart? I don't care about my heart, Carole, that man…" Burt turned around to face her, his face red with anger. He stopped to take a deep breath when his wife looked at him with her hands on her hips and a quirked eyebrow. "Carole, that man's unscrupulous. He's helping out a guy who beat up someone for being gay. The poor boy that was attacked could've been Kurt or Blaine!"

Blaine felt his stomach twisting and he hoped he wasn't going to throw up again.

"I think Blaine has had enough drama for one day and we should leave him alone," Carole answered firmly. "We can talk about this later or tomorrow or when he's a bit calmer. Not now."

With that, Carole walked to where Blaine was sitting and took from him the mug that had contained tea about an hour ago, but was now empty and still tightly trapped in Blaine's grip. He was holding onto it as if it were an anchor.

"Let me take this, dear, dinner is almost ready," she said and then she brushed some of his curls away from his forehead. Blaine nodded, a tiny smile spreading on his lips.

Burt sighed and came back to the table to sit in front of Blaine. "You're right, Carole. I'm sorry, Blaine…"

"Don't be," Blaine shook his head slowly. "I'm pretty furious myself."

"And exhausted," Burt added, nodding towards him. Blaine had taken off the dirty jacket, but was still wearing the clothes he had worn to work, the sleeves of his white button up were rolled up and the gel in his hair had disappeared after all the times he had passed his fingers through it during the drive to Lima. "Would you like to take a shower before we eat?"

"No," Blaine rubbed his temples with his fingers, trying to relax. "I'd probably fall asleep before I can even step out of the bathroom."

There was a pause filled only with the sounds of Carole finishing up with the food before Burt spoke again. "Are you planning to call Kurt and let him know you're here?"

Blaine bit his lip. "Yeah, I am… but not tonight. I'm just… I'm not ready and I really need to put my thoughts in order. I don't want to screw things up with him even more."

"I understand," Burt said quietly. He intertwined his fingers over the table and leaned a bit closer to Blaine. "I'm gonna be honest with you, buddy. I think you need Kurt right now. Carole and I are here to help you in any way you need… but we're not Kurt and we'll never be able to make you feel better like Kurt can."

Blaine knew they were right. He knew he would feel instantly better just by holding Kurt, but he was still so shaken by what had happened that day that he was afraid he would end up crying into Kurt's sweater if he saw him. And Kurt didn't deserve that, he deserved to be asked for forgiveness in a proper way.

"I'm also against lying to him, Blaine," Burt continued. "If he calls me and he mentions you… I can't lie to him."

"I wouldn't ask you to lie to him," Blaine nodded his understanding. "I'll talk to him. I promise."

"Whatever it is stopping you from talking to Kurt," Carole said as she put a plate of spaghetti in front of him, "don't worry about it. He'll jump right into your arms as soon as you give him a chance. He misses you."

Blaine sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "God, I miss him, too. So much…" He looked up at Burt. "I know I made a mistake with him, I know I hurt him… but I swear, Burt, I love him. I want to make things right. I want to be with him."

"I've never doubted that for a second, buddy," Burt answered with a grin and pointed towards Blaine's still untouched food. "Now eat before it gets cold."

Blaine grabbed his fork and started rolling spaghetti on it. Carole tried to lighten up the mood and bring some sense of normalcy into Blaine's day, so she started talking about something that had happened to her at work that day. Blaine felt the tense muscles of his shoulders and back relaxing slightly during dinner. Things were still complicated and he had a lot of thinking to do, but at least now he was in a place where acceptance and love weren't denied to him.

Blaine looked up at the couple that was now bickering about the amount of salt Burt was trying to sneak into his food and felt warmer than he had ever felt in his life. He felt like he finally belonged.

* * *

When Blaine woke up in Finn's room the next day, he sighed in relief. For one terrible moment before he opened his eyes, he had thought all the events from the previous day had been nothing but a dream. He had thought he was still trapped in his horrible life, with his horrible father.

He turned his head towards the window. The sun was shining high, making the snow that was covering the backyard glitter under its rays. Robert was wandering around, smelling the trees, chasing his own tail and enjoying being outside. Blaine smiled a bit. It seemed like both of them were much happier there with the Hummels.

He got out of bed, stretched his arms into the air and looked into his bag for something to wear. He grabbed the first pair of jeans and sweater he found and put them on. A few minutes later he was down down the stairs to the kitchen, where Burt was reading the newspaper.

"Good morning!" He said as soon as he saw Blaine entering the kitchen. "It seemed like you really needed some sleep. I was wondering if I should wake you up or not."

Blaine frowned and glanced at the clock on the opposite wall. His eyebrows shot all the way up to his hairline. It was almost noon. "Whoa. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sleep in so late."

"Don't apologize, buddy, you had a rough day yesterday," Burt folded the paper and put it on the table. "Did you get enough rest, at least?"

"Yeah, yeah, I did," Blaine nodded, dropping down on a chair in front of the other man.

"You sure you're comfortable in Finn's old room? You can switch to Kurt's whenever you want. He had a better bed. He made me buy hypoallergenic sheets and pillows and all that crap," Burt said.

Blaine smiled. Yeah, that sounded like something only a teenage boy like Kurt would ask his father. "I'm sure… I just, I don't think I feel right there." He almost added _without him_ , but he wasn't about to give details of his and Kurt's private life to Burt.

He zoned out, thinking about Kurt and what he was going to do to put his life back on track. He honestly didn't know what to do. He didn't know where he was going to live, where he was going to work… he wasn't even sure if Kurt would really take him back.

Some of his anxiety must have shown on his face, because Burt suddenly was laughing and clasping him on the shoulder.

"Come on, bud, seems like you need to get out of here and clear your head," Burt left the kitchen and Blaine followed, a bit confused. "Let's go grab something to eat and we'll talk."

"Okay," Blaine agreed hesitantly.

He thought of his dad during the entire ride to the little restaurant Burt took him to. Walter had never simply taken his son out to eat a burger and talk about his problems, his life, whatever was on his mind. Listening had never been one of Walter Andersons' skills. Paying attention to his son hadn't been one either, or caring about him, or knowing him at all.

And here was Burt Hummel, who had probably done this same thing with his own son a hundred times, who always put Kurt's wellbeing first, who always had time to listen to whatever Kurt needed to say. And he was doing the same thing for someone who was practically a stranger, someone he had seen only twice, someone who had broken his son's heart.

Burt Hummel was the greatest man ever.

Blaine glanced at the other man over the edge of the menu he was holding and cleared his throat, awkwardly. "Mm… you're not planning on eating a burger or fries, right?"

Instead of getting upset, Burt lowered his menu and chuckled. "Careful, Blaine, you're sounding a lot like your boyfriend."

Blaine actually blushed at those words. "I just… I don't want Carole to be mad at me if she finds out I let you skip your diet…" he mumbled shyly.

"Don't worry, I'm gonna order one of those vegetarian burgers that Kurt always forces me to eat and I'll be fine," Burt answered.

It wasn't until their waitress had left their food (Blaine had ordered a cheeseburger and fries, but only after Burt assured him there was no need for Blaine to eat the same thing as him just because Burt couldn't) that things got a little more serious. So far, they had talked about the weather and Burt had mentioned a few things about the tire shop. Now, he leaned from across the table to take a good look at Blaine.

"How are you doing, buddy?" He asked, evidently concerned. "Are you feeling a bit better?"

Blaine stared at his cheeseburger for a moment. "Not really. Everything's still a mess and I have no idea what I'm going to do with my life. Yeah, I feel sort of liberated, but… what am I supposed to do now?"

"Well, that should be easy to figure out," Burt shrugged and took a bite of his burger. "When you close your eyes and imagine your future, what do you see?"

"Kurt," Blaine replied instantly, without even thinking about it. When he realized what he had just said, he froze, his burger halfway between the plate and his mouth. He put it down again slowly. "I mean…"

"You wanna marry my kid?" Burt asked bluntly.

Blaine swallowed. He wasn't sure he was still hungry. "I-I… I never thought I could actually get married. I haven't thought about it."

Burt smiled softly, his eyes lost staring into the distance, as if he was seeing something that no one else could. "Kurt started talking about his wedding when he was four. He sneaked into my wife's closet and stole her wedding veil and a pair of shoes. He walked around the house humming the wedding march until he tripped over the heels and started crying."

Blaine's heart warmed at the image in his head of a tiny Kurt in his mother's shoes.

"Elizabeth picked him up and kissed his cheeks until he stopped crying. I was coming down the stairs to see what all the screaming was about and I heard him asking her in whispers if he would ever get married one day," Burt sighed. "She said that of course he would and asked him why he doubted he would. So Kurt said that every time he had seen a wedding, in movies or in real life, he had always seen a girl and a boy getting married. But he didn't want to marry a girl. He said he wanted to marry a boy."

There was a pause and Blaine was torn between melting because of how sweet Kurt had clearly been when he was a little boy and curiosity to see where Burt was going with this.

"Elizabeth told him that she was sure he would find a prince to love him like in the movies," Burt chuckled. His eyes were shining, but he didn't cry. "You know, buddy, if she were here right now, I think she would tell Kurt that he needs to stop searching. She would say that you're the one."

Maybe Burt wasn't crying, but Blaine was certainly about to. "Burt…"

"I'm not trying to pressure you into marrying Kurt or anything, if that's not what you want," Burt interrupted, gently. "I'm just saying… it's completely fine if that's what you want to do. You can love whoever you want, Blaine. This family is never going to judge you. And I'm glad you chose to love my son. I think he needs you as much as you need him."

Blaine nodded, overcome with emotion, not sure what to answer to what Burt had just told him.

"Now eat your food, son, it's getting cold," Burt pointed towards Blaine's untouched burger and fries as he took another bite of his own.

There was another pause as they both chewed their food, lost in their own thoughts.

"Did Kurt tell you I wanted to be a photographer?" Blaine said suddenly.

Burt looked at him with interest. "I think your father mentioned something about it when we went to your place for your birthday. I didn't know that's what you wanted to do, though."

"Yeah… but then my father said I had to be a lawyer like him and I went to Harvard," Blaine explained. "When we came over for Thanksgiving, Kurt told me he had signed me up for Photography classes."

"That sounds like something Kurt would do," Burt muttered, rolling his eyes fondly.

"I think I'd like to do that," Blaine confessed timidly. "See if I can make a living out of it…"

"That's a fantastic idea, Blaine," Burt said, grinning.

Blaine couldn't hold back his smile at Burt's approval. He was about to add something else when his phone started buzzing in his pocket. He picked it up and recognized the number immediately.

"Sorry," he apologized and he stood up, flashing Burt an apologetic smile before accepting the call. "Lucy?"

"Mr. Anderson," she said and she sounded happy to hear his voice. "How are you doing?"

"A bit better, I'd say," Blaine answered as he found a quiet place in the hallway that led to the bathroom so he could talk without being disturbed. "How are you? I still feel bad for abandoning you there."

"You didn't abandon me at all," Lucy brushed his words off. "I just wanted to let you know I finished emptying your office after you left. Took all the things I knew were yours and packed them. I have them in my car, so I can give them to you whenever you want."

"You're amazing, Lucy," Blaine said, feeling a rush of affection for the woman.

"Please, Mr. Anderson, I just didn't want anyone else going through your stuff." There was a moment of silence and Blaine noticed Lucy was hesitating. "I… I heard about the case. The new case your father wanted you involved with."

Blaine shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably. "Yeah, well, I'm sure you understand why I couldn't stay."

"Of course I do," she said passionately. "I think it's terrible, Mr. Anderson. But I… I overheard something when I was giving some documents to Katherine outside your father's office."

Blaine frowned. "What did you hear?"

"Apparently something's not going well with the trial. It's being delayed."

"What do you mean?"

"It seems like the kid who got beaten up got into a lot of debts because of his hospital bills and he can't afford a lawyer anymore. Neither can his parents. I think your father thought his client could benefit from that situation somehow…" Lucy explained in a hushed voice.

Blaine's heart was pounding inside his chest. He made the decision without even thinking about it. "Lucy, I'm going to need your help."

He joined Burt again at their table five minutes later. When he sat down, he was vibrating with excitement and nerves.

"Everything alright?" Burt asked.

Blaine nodded, taking a huge bite off his burger that, somehow, wasn't cold yet. "I think I'm taking my very last case before saying goodbye to my life as a lawyer."

Burt seemed surprised. "Really? I thought you wanted to put that behind you as soon as possible."

"I do, but I need to prove my father wrong first," Blaine replied and proceeded to fill Burt in with what Lucy had just told him.

Burt was even more excited than he was. "Blaine! That's great! Did you already talk to the boy or his parents? Do you know for sure if you'll be representing him?"

"Not yet, but I don't think they'll say no," Blaine picked a couple of fries and tossed them in his mouth. "I'm going to offer my services for free. And I have no idea what it'll cost me or how hard I'll have to work… but I'm going to win this for that boy."

"Of course you are!" Burt exclaimed, as he hit his fist against the table, laughing. "I'm so proud of you, buddy."

Blaine's hazel eyes fixed on Burt, wide and shocked. "You… you are?"

"You bet I am," he hit the table again.

Blaine hadn't expected the rush of happiness that those words sent through his entire body or the smile that came with it, but he welcomed them anyway.

Maybe Burt was right after all. Maybe everything really was going to be alright.

* * *

Light rain was falling steadily on Wednesday afternoon and Kurt leaned against the counter with a bored expression on his face, letting his blue eyes wander over the street, where people were trying to shield themselves under large umbrellas. The bakery was empty at the moment, but he'd had a very busy morning, so he was enjoying a moment of quiet, even when he had nothing to distract himself with.

He started going through the list of orders he had to get done before the weekend, trying to organize himself so he wouldn't be working like a mad man until the last minute. He was about to go into the kitchen to make sure he had all the ingredients he needed so maybe he could bake the first batch of cupcakes that had been ordered for a baby shower when the front door opened and Finn came in, his usual goofy smile on his face, as he waved hello and shook his head like a puppy to try and get a little drier.

Kurt frowned. Finn was coming to see him a lot more often lately, since Blaine had left, and Kurt suspected it had something to do with his brotherly instinct to try and keep Kurt from being depressed. He really appreciated it, but he didn't understand.

"Finn? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the garage with Dad?" He asked, coming from behind the counter to meet him. He paled. "Is Dad alright? Did something happen to him?"

"Dude, chill out, nothing's wrong," Finn said immediately. "I just had a day off and decided to come over."

"Oh," Kurt sighed in relief. Then he frowned again. "A day off on a Wednesday? And with this weather? There must be a lot of work to do."

"Hey, if you don't want me here, just say it," Finn huffed.

"No, no, I didn't say that," Kurt answered, pushing his brother further into the bakery and towards one of the empty tables. "I just thought it was weird. Would you like something to drink or eat?"

Finn's face lightened up like a beacon. "Yeah, what do you have?"

Kurt rolled his eyes before turning around, walking to the counter and putting a few chocolate chip cookies on a plate. Then he went to the kitchen and poured a glass of milk. "Here. I'm starting to think you only come over because I feed you."

"Well," Finn mumbled, his mouth already full. "That's _one_ of the reasons."

"You're a dear," Kurt said, arching an eyebrow and giving Finn his best bitch glare that he had perfected back in high school. Then he relaxed back against the chair. "Actually, I'm kind of glad you showed up."

"Really?" Finn took a sip of his milk and a drop dribbled down his chin all the way to his hoodie.

"Yeah. It's been too quiet…" Kurt whispered, playing with a paper napkin. He had always enjoyed the silence, somehow. He had found it even inspirational. But lately, without Blaine… it was too heavy. It made him ache.

Finn started talking about his plans with Puck for the weekend, about a client he'd had the previous day that turned out to be a really pretty lady and that he was hoping would come back and about all the random things Finn usually talked about. Kurt found the sound of his voice sort of pleasant and just sat there and listened to him, adding a few comments or laughing at the appropriate moments. It was nice having a brother, Kurt thought. When he looked back at how lonely Burt and he had been before Carole and Finn arrived in their lives, he couldn't remember how they had survived like that.

He realized Finn was still talking and forced himself to pay more attention. "… and your Dad hasn't been going to the shop very much this week, I've been covering for him. That's why he told me I could have the day off today. He was planning on taking Blaine with him to help him and I guess they are…"

Kurt's head jerked up to look straight at his brother. "Wait, what?"

Finn blinked in confusion a couple of times and then his entire face went red. "Oh, crap."

"What do you mean Blaine went with Dad to the garage?" Kurt asked and his heart was already beating faster, because that's what it did at the mere mention of Blaine's name.

"I just… look, Kurt, it's not my place to tell…" Finn fidgeted nervously on his seat.

Kurt snatched the remaining cookies and the glass of milk from him. "Finn, tell me what's going on right now."

Finn gulped. He had always been way bigger than Kurt, but there wasn't anything scarier than his brother when he was upset about something. "I don't know everything; I just know that Blaine is living with Burt and mom."

Kurt's eyes went wide. " _What?_ "

"Oh, damn, I wasn't supposed to tell you!" Finn hid his face in his arms, which were crossed on the table. "Mom made me promise. They're all waiting for Blaine to be ready to talk to you…"

"Why is he living with them?" Kurt questioned, leaving aside the fact that his entire family was lying to him for some reason.

"I think he got into a really big fight with his dad and he left his job and his apartment," Finn shrugged and used the fact that Kurt was evidently too busy being concerned about Blaine to pay attention to what he was doing, to get back one of the cookies. He chewed on it thoughtfully. "He was really, really depressed. Burt's been with him almost all the time since he arrived."

Kurt felt like he couldn't really breathe. He stood up abruptly. "Let's go," he blurted out.

Finn looked at him without understanding. "Go where?"

"You're driving me to Lima, come on," Kurt ran to the back of the counter and looked for his keys and cellphone. He put his coat and scarf on quickly.

"Don't you have to work?" Finn tilted his head to the side as he watched his brother running around the shop to make sure everything was in order to close.

Kurt went into the kitchen to make sure nothing was on and that he wouldn't find any messes when he came back. "I don't care about that right now, Finn, I just need to see Blaine."

"But they'll know I told you! Kurt, seriously, they're going to kill me!" Finn whined, trailing behind him like a lost puppy.

Kurt ignored him, checking the back door was locked.

"Kurt!" Finn whined even more. "Come on, dude, they're just waiting for Blaine to be ready to talk to you. You know everything is complicated with him, you know better than anyone else!"

"And that's exactly why I'm going to see him!" Kurt said, turning around to face his brother. "Finn… he needs me. I know he does. But after the last time we talked… I'm sure he blames himself. I'm sure he thinks I don't love him anymore…"

Finn let out a frustrated snort. "Fine. But I'm leaving you at our parents' place and leaving. I'm staying away until you make them promise they won't kill me."

"Sometimes I have a hard time believing you're actually an adult," Kurt rolled his eyes as he hushed his brother to leave the bakery. They ran to Finn's truck to avoid getting wet with the rain that was still falling with no signs that it was going to stop soon.

Maybe it was because Finn had to drive carefully because of the weather or because he just couldn't wait one more second to see Blaine, but Kurt thought that Lima had never seemed so far away.

* * *

Blaine's hair was messy and still a little damp from the shower he had taken when he arrived back from the garage with Burt over an hour ago. Carole had the night shift and had already left and Burt had no intention of cooking dinner, saying they could order a pizza when they were hungry, so Blaine had taken possession of the kitchen table.

He had his laptop open in front of him, the few law books that he had packed with him and a few papers with notes that Lucy had emailed him earlier that day. He hadn't been surprised when Henry's parents accepted his offer as soon as he told them he wanted to represent them free of charge. They were desperate, after all. But he was overwhelmed with how much this case meant to him, how much it would mean to win. Not only because it would show his father he wasn't the worthless crap he had been told he was his entire life, but because it could make a difference for a lot of gay kids living in a place like Ohio.

He could hear the sound of the shower on the upper floor, where Burt was washing off another day of work at the tire shop. He had a steaming cup of coffee in his hand as he let his tired eyes scan over piles of legal documents. He had put on his glasses, as he did every time he knew he had a lot of work ahead. But he was excited, like he had never been with any other case. This one actually meant something to him.

Blaine created a new document on his computer and started typing, a slight frown of concentration on his face, as he wrote the first draft of his opening statement for the trial. He still needed to meet with Henry and his parents for the first time to go through all the facts with them, but he already knew the basics, so he could at least write an outline of what he wanted to say.

Kurt leaned against the doorway silently, a lump in his throat now that he was finally seeing Blaine after days and days of missing him, now that he was seeing him so close and he could actually confirm that he was fine. Blaine looked tired, serious, not happy, but at least not miserable anymore, as if he was in limbo. Kurt crossed his arms over his chest to hide the fact that his hands were shaking.

The whisper startled Blaine, who had momentarily paused typing to check what he had just written.

"Hi."

Blaine's head snapped to the side, his eyes wide behind the black-rimmed glasses. He gaped when he saw Kurt standing there and Kurt had to force himself to keep the little smile on his lips or he would start crying and launch into the other man's arms.

"Kurt…" Blaine exhaled, and he sounded amazed, as if he had never imagined he could find Kurt there.

But it wasn't that. It was just that after weeks of not having Kurt right there in front of him, after weeks of just seeing him through the photographs he had taken, the real Kurt was even more breathtaking than ever. His eyes seemed bluer, his hair looked even more perfectly styled, his strong body seemed to fit even better into those stunning clothes he wore, his skin looked even paler and smoother than Blaine remembered it…

"So…" Kurt started, taking a hesitant step into the kitchen. "I heard you're crashing here with my parents…"

Blaine took off his glasses and ran his hand over his face. "God, Kurt, I'm so sorry. I should've… I should've told you I was here. This is your house, not mine, I have no right to just come and invade it and…"

"Can you stop for a second?" Kurt said softly, lifting his hands in front of him to calm Blaine down. "I'm not mad at you. At all. I'm glad you had somewhere to go to when you needed it."

Blaine nodded, trying to avoid looking straight at him, because it felt like too much. "Thanks…"

"I just…" Kurt paused to stop his voice from breaking. "I just wish _I_ was that place."

Blaine's heart ached at those words. "Kurt… you are. You definitely are. You were the first thing that crossed my mind but I… I didn't want you to see me then. I was so out of control and…"

"I would've helped you." Kurt kneeled in front of him and tentatively put his hands on Blaine's knees. "I want to be here for you, Blaine…"

Blaine swallowed nervously, his hands tingling to touch Kurt's. "I hurt you. I know I did and I hate myself for it every day because…"

Kurt reached up and pressed a finger against Blaine's lips, silencing him. "No. no more hating yourself, especially not for something involving me."

"I lied to you that night at the bakery," Blaine blurted out, needing to say those words, to get them out of his system. "Everything was a lie, Kurt… not loving you, being embarrassed about you… gosh, I love you so much I can't even breathe sometimes. And I've never been prouder of anything in my life like I was when I got to call you my boyfriend…"

Kurt's eyes started shining with the tears he was unsuccessfully trying to hold back. Blaine very carefully wiped them away with the tip of his fingers, giving Kurt the space and the chance to pull him away if he wanted to, but Kurt actually leaned into the touch.

"Don't make me be without you again, Blaine, please…" he whispered, and for a moment he sounded like a scared little child. Blaine's heart ached even more.

"Never again," Blaine promised, feeling the urge to cry himself. "I'm sorry I did this to us…"

Kurt shivered. He needed Blaine like he had never needed anything else in his life. The weight of the days spent apart fell on him, and the urge to be closer, to make sure it really was Blaine there with him was so intense he felt dizzy. His voice was equal parts of hopeful, hesitant and shy when he spoke again. "Can you kiss me?"

Blaine didn't answer, because no words seemed adequate. His need was as strong as Kurt's was and he had been longing to kiss this man for many lonely nights. He pulled Kurt up by his arms until the slightly taller man dropped down onto his lap. Impatient, Kurt leaned down to crash their lips together before Blaine could even wrap him in a tight embrace.

It was as if they received a shot of happiness. Suddenly, they were surrounded by colors and music and the intoxicating scent of each other. All the things they thought they had lost forever came back, ten times as intense than they had been before. If they hadn't been sure that what they had was real before, they were sure now.

Kurt threw his arms around Blaine's neck and giggled into the kiss, happily. Blaine opened his eyes just enough to see the man he was kissing, to make sure this wasn't another dream, to take a look at the beautiful reality he was holding.

Kurt started dropping quick, tiny kisses all over his face, making him laugh. Blaine couldn't remember the last time he had actually laughed…

"It's nice to see you two worked things out…" A voice said from the doorway and they reluctantly pulled away to find Burt watching them. "Did Finn tell you he was here?"

Kurt quirked an eyebrow. "How did you guess?"

"I knew as soon as Carole told him that he wouldn't be able to keep the secret," Burt shrugged and walked to the fridge.

Blaine buried his face in the crook of Kurt's neck, taking comfort in how amazing his skin felt. "I'm glad he told you. I was too much of a coward to do it myself."

Kurt kissed the top of his head. "That's not true. I've heard you were pretty brave a few days ago…"

Blaine moved back to look Kurt in the eyes. "I guess there's a lot I need to tell you."

"You can tell me everything on the drive back to Columbus," Kurt said with a smile before turning to Burt. "Dad, if you don't mind, I'm taking my boyfriend home."

The wave of warmth that rushed through Blaine's body made him cling even tighter to Kurt.

"I don't mind at all," Burt answered, taking a sip from his bottle of water. "But I want the two of you here for Friday night dinner."

"Maybe I can come over sometime next week and give you a hand at the garage?" Blaine offered, almost hopefully.

Burt's smile got even brighter. "I'd like that, as long as it doesn't take any precious time from your big case."

Kurt frowned, without understanding. "Big case?"

Blaine nodded, enthusiasm hovering in his hazel eyes. "I'll tell you in the car."

Kurt grinned. "Sounds exciting." He stood up and grabbed Blaine's hand in his, tugging to make him follow. "Let's go get your stuff."

Burt waved goodbye to them from the front door twenty minutes later after making them both promise again that they would be there for dinner on Friday. Once he was alone, he walked into the kitchen, thinking about calling Finn to see if he wanted to come over and eat that pizza with him.

He felt like he needed to celebrate this little victory.


	16. Chapter 16

Panting, Kurt dropped down on the bed next to Blaine, who immediately wrapped an arm around him to keep him close. Blaine's chest was heaving almost violently as he tried to catch his breath.

"God, I missed you so much," Blaine muttered, craning his neck so he could kiss the top of Kurt's head.

"I missed you, too," Kurt answered in a hoarse voice. "I'm sorry if I was too rough…"

"You weren't, don't worry," Blaine smiled, the afterglow of his orgasm still too strong to care about sore muscles. "I really needed to feel you."

Kurt sighed in contentment and nuzzled into the crook of Blaine's shoulder. It was almost four in the morning and he had to be up early in the morning to work, but he didn't give a damn at that point. He had Blaine back in his arms and they had spent the last few hours showing each other how much they had missed being together, and talking. Blaine had explained to Kurt everything that had happened while they were apart and Kurt had sounded honestly horrified when he heard about what Ryan McAllister had done and how Walter was willing to help him get away with it.

They were silent for a while and Blaine thought Kurt had finally fallen asleep, so he was ready to do the same, when Kurt spoke again, his lips moving against the sensitive skin of Blaine's neck. "There were a few moments… when I actually thought you wouldn't come back to me."

Blaine felt his stomach twisting in guilt. He swallowed the bitterness that came up his throat. "Kurt…"

"I kept telling myself that you hadn't meant what you said that night, that you would eventually find your way back, that I just needed to give you enough time…" Kurt shifted closer and clung to him like a lifeline. "But there were days when everything was so bleak, when the bed was so cold…"

Blaine pulled away from Kurt's embrace just enough to push him onto his back so he could lean over him, with only inches between them. His hazel eyes were full of tears and regret. "Leaving you was the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life and I spent every second without you feeling like I had lost a part of me because you're everything to me, Kurt."

Kurt cracked a watery smile and brushed the line of Blaine's jaw with the tips of his fingers. "I love you so much, Blaine."

"I love you even more," Blaine closed the gap between them enough to kiss his lips sweetly and slowly. "And I always will."

"Always?" Kurt repeated, lazily moving forward to capture Blaine's lips again.

"Forever," Blaine replied quietly.

They kept kissing and whispering endless declarations of love until they fell asleep, Blaine's arms wrapped around Kurt's waist and Kurt's thrown over Blaine's chest.

For the first time in weeks, they both slept deeply, because the fear of losing the person they loved was finally gone.

* * *

Blaine woke up a little later that morning, mostly because he couldn't find Kurt in the bed next to him. Glancing at the clock, he realized Kurt was probably at the bakery already, so he got up, took a quick shower and then joined him downstairs.

It was still raining, but there were a few more customers than the previous day. Only one look at Kurt's face told Blaine he was feeling overwhelmed.

"Hey," he said as he walked behind the counter, brushing his fingers lightly over the small of Kurt's back when he passed by him. "What's going on?"

Kurt was filling a cup of coffee. "People haven't stopped coming in since I opened and I didn't get any baking done last night. I have to get ready a few orders and I don't think I'll have enough time to do everything."

Blaine put his hand on Kurt to stop him from grabbing a second paper cup. "Go to the kitchen and do what you have to do, I'll take care of the customers today, okay?"

Kurt quirked an eyebrow, but his lips curled up a bit at the ends. "Really?"

"Absolutely," Blaine smiled. "I've spent so much time here that I already know how everything works."

Kurt sighed in obvious relief. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now get out of here," Blaine gently pushed him away by bumping their hips together and filled the second cup of coffee as Kurt disappeared into the kitchen.

Blaine quickly served every customer until the last one was out the door, feeling quite proud of himself that he'd only had to interrupt Kurt one to question him about something he didn't know. When he was done, he poured himself a cup of coffee and joined Kurt in the kitchen.

Kurt was making kneading movements inside a huge white bowl. "You're an angel, Blaine, thank you so much."

"It was nothing," Blaine smiled as he pressed his lips chastely against the back of Kurt's neck, sending a little shiver down his spine. "You work too much and you have no one to help you here."

"I know," Kurt sighed. "My dad keeps telling me I'll have to hire someone eventually and he's right. Sometimes I'm so tired I almost can't get out of bed in the morning."

"I'll tell you what," Blaine said, his hands settling on Kurt's hips. "I'll help you when I'm not working on Henry's case. You can be back here in the kitchen and I can be out there with the customers. That way, you don't have to be down here late every night baking."

"Blaine, I can't ask you to do that…" Kurt shook his head softly.

"You're saying that as if I don't get anything out of this," Blaine smirked with his lips glued to Kurt's skin. "I will not only spend more time with you here during the day, but I'll also have you all to myself earlier every evening."

"Uhm, a bit possessive, aren't we?" Kurt hummed, but it was obvious he was delighted with that idea.

"I need to make up for lost time," Blaine's grip tightened a little, fingers digging into the sensitive flesh between Kurt's hipbones, making him gasp a little. "And I like being here. It was the first place where I ever felt… _safe_."

Kurt smiled and leaned back against Blaine's body. "It would be really nice to have you around more."

Blaine relaxed, losing himself in the mix of delicious scents coming from Kurt's skin and whatever chocolate-y thing he was making before pulling away to drink his coffee.

"Could you pass me the bowl of raspberries I have in the fridge, sweetheart?" Kurt asked absently and Blaine moved to oblige. Kurt frowned, suddenly thinking of something. "You haven't told me about how you were doing in your photography classes."

Blaine came back with a bowl full of colorful, fresh raspberries and put it down on the counter before leaning next to Kurt and grabbing his cup of coffee again. "I stopped going after we… you know," even saying it was still hard. "I didn't have strength enough to keep going."

"Blaine," Kurt paused and looked up at him, a sad smile on his face. "That could've helped you feel better."

"No, it wouldn't have made any difference," Blaine said, completely certain. "It didn't really make any sense without you. You're like… my muse."

Kurt bit his lip and took a step to stand between Blaine's legs, keeping his hands away from him so he wouldn't get him dirty with batter. "I'm here now. Are you going to go back? Because I really think you should, Blaine."

"I will," Blaine nodded, brushing Kurt's chestnut hair off his forehead. "I actually told your dad the other day that I'd like to try and pursue a career as a photographer. So I'll probably go talk to my teachers this week and see if I can rejoin or if it's too late."

Kurt grinned widely. "Really? Blaine, that's fantastic."

"It's hard to make it as a photographer, but I'll give it a shot," Blaine shrugged. "At least I know I have a backup job as a waiter here if things don't go as planned."

"Oh, yeah?" Kurt quirked an eyebrow. "Who said I'm hiring you?"

"Do you need some convincing, sir? Because I think I'm perfect for the job," Blaine said in a low voice, as he moved closer to mouth at Kurt's throat. Kurt melted in his arms.

And then they heard the front door opening and a new customer coming in.

"You better get that if you want to make a good impression on your boss," Kurt muttered, a bit frustrated, pulling away.

Blaine stole one more kiss before turning to leave the kitchen. Kurt did a ridiculous little dance of sheer happiness as he tried his best not to squeal before he went back to work.

* * *

On Friday afternoon, Blaine received a call from Henry Brown's mother, Monica. They had agreed that she would contact him as soon as she knew when Henry would have a free day from his many doctor's appointments.

"His physiotherapist had to cancel today. I know it's short notice, but we have to take him to so many different doctors every day of the week… and then he's so exhausted," She explained, distressed.

"It's fine," Blaine assured her in a soothing voice. "Why don't you let Henry relax today and we'll meet tomorrow?"

"No, I couldn't possibly make you go to the office on a Saturday," Monica replied immediately.

"I don't actually have an office right now," Blaine said. "I was hoping we could meet somewhere else."

He could almost _hear_ her frown. "I… don't understand. I thought every lawyer had an office. Mr. Anderson… I hate sounding so suspicious, but we don't need anyone else hurting our family. Are you a real lawyer or are you trying to cause my son even more trouble?"

"I understand you don't trust me yet, Mrs. Brown. But I swear I want to help Henry. I'm a hundred percent into this," Blaine brushed his curls back, a bit desperately. "Give me a chance to at least explain to you why it's so important to me to take this case."

There was a small pause and then she sighed on the other end. "Okay. But… I don't think we should meet in a public place. Henry… well, he's afraid of anyone hearing him talk about what happened, about people knowing he's gay. It's as if he's almost expecting someone to attack him every time he leaves the house."

Blaine closed his eyes. He remembered what that felt like. And he also knew that locking himself in his room hadn't helped at all. "No one is going to hurt him here. It's one of the safest places I've ever been. Do you have paper and a pen to write down the address? It's a little bakery, Ellie's…"

That's how he ended up glancing anxiously at the door every two seconds on Saturday morning. He was so distracted that Kurt had to come out of the kitchen and help him with the customers.

"Try to relax," Kurt said in his ear, his fingers brushing softly against the small of his back. "Everything will be fine."

He smiled nervously at him and continued pouring another cup of coffee. Kurt went back to the kitchen to check on the second batch of pies he had put in the oven and Blaine started flipping through some files he had printed about the case.

A woman pushing a boy in a wheelchair entered the bakery a few minutes after ten. Blaine was just finishing with a customer, handing him his change, when he saw them. The woman was tall and thin, her brown hair tied back with a tight bow in the back of her head. The boy looked really small in that wheelchair, even though Blaine suspected he had been as tall as his mom when he was able to stand on his feet. He had dark blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. They glanced around awkwardly, obviously thinking their lawyer was late or, even worse, had stood them up.

Blaine came out from behind the counter with a kind smile on his face. "Hello! You must be Henry and Monica, right? I'm Blaine Anderson."

Monica and Henry both blinked at him, staring at the hand Blaine had extended towards them. He definitely wasn't the lawyer they had been expecting. Instead of the formal, professional suits Blaine had worn when he worked with his father, he was a lot more casual now. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a Harvard hoodie (he couldn't resist wearing hoodies when he was with Kurt after the other man had confessed he thought he looked so good in them back during Thanksgiving). On top of that, he had on a black apron that Kurt had insisted he used after he had spilled coffee all over his sweater the previous day.

Hesitantly, Monica shook his hand.

Blaine gave them a hopeful smile. "Listen, I know I don't look the way you expected your new lawyer to look, but… give me an hour of your time and if you don't want me to help you with this, I will personally recommend a good lawyer that could take your case."

"Are you really a lawyer?" Henry asked, bluntly.

Blaine took off the apron and dropped it on the counter. "I am. I graduated on top of my class in Harvard. I swear. I'm just… I'm in the middle of changing careers. That's why I don't have an office right now and why I'm doing this for free. I want to take this case because it matters to me, not because it's my job."

Monica squeezed Henry's shoulder. "Okay, we can give you an hour."

"Fantastic," Blaine took the folder he had left on the counter and pointed at one of the tables. "Let's take a seat here."

"Are you sure we can… talk safely? What if someone comes?" Henry asked, his eyes travelling around the bakery, warily.

Blaine smiled bitterly. "You can be whoever you want to be in this place. That's what I learned the first time I came over. This has been my shelter since that day."

Henry stared at him, still very cautious. "Why would you want to help the gay guy? Don't you think I should burn in hell like the rest of the people in this town?"

Blaine was silent for a few seconds, simply studying Henry's face. The kid was damaged and he couldn't blame him for it, but he needed him to trust him if he was going to represent him. Then he turned slightly. "Kurt? Can you come here for a second?"

Henry visibly tensed and his mother reached for his hand. Kurt came out of the kitchen, drying his hands on a kitchen cloth with a curious expression in his eyes until he noticed that Blaine wasn't alone.

Blaine offered his hand to Kurt, who took it without hesitation, and pulled him closer, enough to wrap one his arms around his waist affectionately. "Mrs. Brown, Henry, this is Kurt, my boyfriend."

Henry and his mother understood without further explanation. Henry even responded to Kurt's bright smile.

"Hi, nice to meet you," Kurt said politely. "I was absolutely outraged when I heard about what happened to you, Henry. And I'm sure that if anyone can do something to make that monster pay, it's Blaine."

"I'm starting to think so, too," Henry said, looking quickly back at Blaine.

Kurt poured cups of coffee for everyone and then joined them at the table when Blaine gave him a brief, pleading look. It was obvious he was still nervous and it seemed like having Kurt there actually helped in gaining Henry's trust, so Kurt complied without a second thought.

After going through some basics of the case, Blaine put the papers down and frowned, as if he was thinking about something. Then he sighed and looked up at Monica and Henry. "I'm going to be completely honest with you right now. I heard about what happened to you, Henry, when I was asked to represent Ryan McAllister."

Henry fidgeted nervously at the mention of his aggressor and his mother grabbed his hand, reassuringly.

"Someone asked you to be his lawyer? I'm sorry, but if people know you're gay, too… who would ask you to do something like that?" Monica asked, incredulous.

Blaine answered calmly. "My father did."

There was a heavy silence between them. Kurt put his hand on Blaine's knee and squeezed lovingly.

"I was working for my father until just a few days ago. He presented this case to me which is when I decided to quit," Blaine explained. He avoided everyone's eyes. "He has been my biggest bully and harassed me since I was a kid and I can't let him help others to do what he did to me for all these years. Now he's Ryan's lawyer and I have more than one good reason to want to beat him in court." Blaine took a deep breath. "And since I'm being honest… I've never wanted to be a lawyer, I only became one because my father insisted, but I know I'm good at it. I know what I'm doing and I won't eat, sleep or even breathe until I win this for you, Henry. I'm sick of people treating us like we're garbage just because we love differently and this is my way to put a stop to it."

The grip of Kurt's hand on his knee tightened and Blaine didn't dare to turn and look at him because he knew he would start crying if he did. The door opened then and a new customer entered, so Kurt excused himself quietly before standing up and walking to the counter.

Henry nodded slowly. "Yeah… okay. Let's do this."

Blaine grinned as he did his best to hold back the knot of emotions in his chest. It was especially hard, since all he wanted to do was jump up and down and throw a fist in the air. "Thanks, Henry. You're not going to regret this, I swear."

He shared a smile with Kurt from across the room and Kurt looked at him with so much pride in his eyes that Blaine would've jumped over the counter and kissed him right there and then if it wasn't because they both had to remain professional.

But when they were alone an hour later, Henry and his mom just left and with a little break in between customers, Blaine pushed Kurt into the kitchen and kissed him against the wall until they were both breathless, almost letting the brownies Kurt had put in the oven burn.

He wouldn't have minded having to make a whole new batch if that meant he could kiss Blaine for a few more minutes.

* * *

Kurt was happily humming to himself as he put a tray full of tiny tarts into the display case next to the counter. He had been in a wonderful mood for days and he had Blaine to blame for that. Waking up next to him every morning and falling asleep in his arms every night was absolutely wonderful. They were so much closer now than they had been before their little time apart, as if the distance and the heartache had just made them stronger.

It was a beautiful morning and Kurt had been at the front behind the counter since opening because Blaine had to take care of a few things related to Henry's case. He had said he would be back probably around lunch time, so Kurt was thinking about maybe getting something ready for his boyfriend to eat when he came back. When the door opened behind him, he expected it to be him or a customer, but then he turned around to find Walter Anderson looking down at him disdainfully.

"Well, well…" Walter said, a cold smirk spreading on his lips. "I thought it was you but I wasn't sure. I shouldn't be surprised, though, considering anyone could see your disgusting gay face from miles away."

Kurt closed the display case's glass door carefully, though he was boiling with anger inside. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Homophobic assholes are not welcomed in my bakery."

"Believe me, I have no wish to be in this place," Walter glanced around disapprovingly before letting his hazel eyes (so similar to Blaine's, but so different at the same time) fall back on Kurt. "Where's Blaine?"

"He's not here," Kurt answered calmly, moving towards one of the tables where a customer had left an empty cup.

"You expect me to believe that he didn't run to you? Or did he really break up with you because he couldn't stand to have you near him?" Walter took a few steps closer.

"It's none of your business where Blaine is and who he is with. Not anymore," Kurt said firmly. "And I have no idea why you're trying to find him, since it's obvious you never really cared about your son."

Walter had the audacity to laugh humorlessly at Kurt's words. "Look, Hummel, I know Blaine much better than you do. Every now and then he has a meltdown and he wants to change. He thinks I don't notice, but I do. I can tell when everything becomes too much and he wants to escape. It's happened before. He never really dared to do anything about it, but the fact that he did this time doesn't mean anything. In the end, he'll come back crawling, asking our family to accept him back…"

"I wouldn't be so sure," Kurt said with a haughty smile. "He's happy now and he has a real family."

"What, _your_ family?" Walter rolled his eyes. "Blaine is not made to be with people like your family, your class…"

"As delightful as this conversation is," Kurt cut him off impatiently, "I'm afraid I have a lot to do, so it would be nice if you would just turn around and get the hell out of my bakery."

Kurt walked past him with the intention of going into the kitchen, but Walter reached out and grabbed his arm, tugging at him abruptly and making him stumble. There was a flash of anger in his eyes and Kurt was genuinely scared for a moment.

"This is your fault, faggot," Walter spat, watching Kurt as if he was nothing more than filth. "Everything was fine until you wormed your way into Blaine's life…"

"What do you call _fine_ , exactly?" Kurt asked, sounding a lot braver than he actually felt. "Blaine being practically your slave, thanklessly doing everything you told him to, being absolutely miserable?"

"At least he was minimally respectable," Walter answered. "If people hear my son is living with another man…"

"So all you care about is what people say about you and your family," Kurt watched him with narrow eyes. "Well, it's nice that you care about that, you know? It's nice that you try to make your family look so respectable, like you say, and that you try to hide from people that your son is gay. But you know what you should try to hide, too? How fake you and your wife are. You talk too much about image, Mr. Anderson, but you certainly don't care if people see you as a bastard who treats his son like crap every chance he's got."

Walter's grip tightened around Kurt's arm, who had been trying to squirm away from him the entire time. He opened his mouth to reply (probably with more insults), when a third voice interrupted.

"What the hell is going on here?" They both looked to see Blaine standing barely past the front door, his eyes wide and instantly moving down to the hand wrapped around Kurt's arm. He took a couple of long strides towards them and grabbed his father's wrist. "Keep your hands off my boyfriend."

Walter snapped his hand back, as if he had been burned, whether with Blaine's touch or what he had just said, he didn't know. "What a wonderful timing you have, Blaine. Kurt and I were just having a lovely chat…"

"I'm sure," Blaine answered coldly and Kurt swallowed, his eyes fixed on his boyfriend. He had never heard Blaine talking like that. "Now get out of here."

"Where are the manners your mother and I taught you?" Walter sighed, shaking his head, almost disparagingly.

"Those weren't manners, it was submission," Blaine pushed Kurt gently but firmly away from Walter. "And like most of the useless things you and mom gave me, I'm letting them go."

"What an ungrateful little bastard," Walter blurted out, indignantly. "We gave you everything that we…"

"Everything? You gave me all the things I didn't want and you denied me the one thing I wanted," Blaine closed his hands in tight fists. "And that's what Kurt gives me. Love."

Walter snorted mockingly. "Love. What can two fags know about love?"

"A lot more than you, obviously," Blaine's eyes flashed with anger. "Because I'm not the one who has been married to the same woman for thirty years and then goes to work and asks his secretary to suck him off under his desk."

It seemed as if Blaine was finally letting out everything he had been bottling up for years. His father seemed a bit surprised to see him talking back, but that didn't stop him from trying to humiliate Blaine further.

"I'd rather be caught cheating on my wife with another woman than begging a twink like this," he directed a disgusted glance towards Kurt, "to spread his legs for me."

"Don't worry, Dad," Blaine said and Kurt was shocked to see he was actually smiling. "No one has to beg here. I love spreading _my_ legs for Kurt."

Kurt's face went immediately red and he wasn't sure if it was because of what Blaine had just said or if it was because of the heated images of the night before that suddenly flashed into his memory.

Walter looked like he was honestly about to be sick. Blaine wrapped his arm around Kurt's waist to tug him closer.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, we've got lots of sinful, faggy sex to have," and without adding anything else, he turned his head and kissed Kurt fully on the mouth, desperate, open and even a little exaggeratedly. Kurt's lips curled up into the kiss, feeling tempted to cast a glance in Walter's direction, because he was sure his face was something worth seeing.

When they pulled away, Walter was seething with fury and completely livid. "You're a disgrace, Blaine, such a disgusting disgrace, and this family…"

"Stop talking about us as if we were a family, because we never were. And as soon as I marry Kurt, I'll stop being an Anderson for good. I'd far rather be a Hummel. It's so much better…" Blaine said, his gaze fixed on his father, but his hand squeezing Kurt's.

Walter turned around to leave, huffing in annoyance, the eternal look of disgust glued to his face.

"And dad," Blaine stopped him just when he was about to storm out the door. He pulled Kurt a bit closer just as Walter looked over his shoulder. "I'll see you in court."

That seemed to get his father's attention, who frowned in confusion. "Why would I see you in court?"

"Because I'm Henry Brown's lawyer," Blaine answered with his voice clear and proud. "And I'm going to win that case for him."

A little smirk appeared on Walter's face. "I'd like to see you try."

Before Blaine had the chance to answer to his father's challenge, the man was opening the door and leaving the bakery, his shoulders tensed in obvious anger. Blaine and Kurt stayed very still, their hearts pounding loudly against their chests for a whole minute.

And then Blaine was burying his face in Kurt's neck and his legs felt like jelly. "Oh my God, I can't believe I actually said all that."

Kurt wrapped his arms around him and laughed. "I'm so proud of you, baby. The way you stood up to him…"

Blaine pulled away and examined Kurt almost urgently. "He didn't hurt you, did he? He didn't bruise you?"

Kurt soothed him with a quick kiss and a smile. "I'm fine."

They kissed again, long and slow, relaxing into each other's arms and they let the tension ease away from their bodies. Blaine was taking in the comforting scent of Kurt's skin when Kurt spoke again.

"You know… if that was a marriage proposal, it wasn't nearly as romantic as I expected," he whispered into the messy curls on the top of Blaine's head.

Blaine untangled himself from his boyfriend to look him in the eyes, a bit nervously. "Kurt, I…"

"Ssh, it's fine, I'm just teasing you," Kurt rubbed his hands up and down Blaine's back over his black coat.

"I'm… I'm going to do it, someday, and I'm sure it'll be sooner than later," Blaine mumbled, swallowing awkwardly.

"Not if I propose first," Kurt bit his lip, playfully.

Blaine whined, low in his throat, and moved forward to kiss Kurt again, who clutched at his shoulders tightly.

"Let's go lock the door," Kurt whimpered as Blaine's lips moved over his jaw.

"We can't, it's not closing time yet and…" Blaine answered distractedly, but falling silent when Kurt cupped his face and forced their eyes to meet. Kurt's were so dark that the blue was barely visible.

"I don't care," he gripped the ends of Blaine's scarf and tugged a little. "You have no idea how hot you were, how sexy you looked while you were… oh, God, Blaine, I almost wish I could've seen you punch him…"

Blaine growled and backed towards the door to lock it, flipping the sign to close before following Kurt quickly into the bathroom.


	17. Chapter 17

Days started getting warmer during the first two weeks of March and the ones who seemed to enjoy it the most were Brownie and Robert. Brownie loved to jump onto the table by the window, where the rays of sunshine bathed the wood and lay there for hours, napping and licking her paws. Robert, on the other hand, was absolutely thrilled to go out for walks and roll around on the grass at the park.

Kurt and Blaine were spending a particularly sunny Sunday afternoon walking around their favorite park as they stopped every few minutes to let their dog sniff the base of a tree or bark at the birds. They were both wearing coats, though lighter ones and Kurt was still bemoaning the fact that he had to stop using some of his favorite scarves because they were too warm for the current weather.

Things had gotten a lot busier lately. Blaine had been working his ass off on Henry's trial, which would start that Tuesday and Kurt had to go back to his hectic schedule at the bakery, staying up late to get all the baking done before going upstairs to find Blaine with his nose still buried deeply in files, or typing quickly on his laptop, just the way he had left him in the morning. But they had agreed that Sundays were sacred to them. It was the only day they could relax and rest and be together all day, when they were allowed to stop thinking about questions for witnesses or cake orders that were due too soon.

Blaine had his camera hanging around his neck. He always had it with him these days, especially since he had started taking the classes again. Every now and then he would point the camera seemingly randomly snap a picture, and no matter what he was taking a picture of, it always looked amazing. His favorite model was, of course, Kurt, who had stopped trying to hide behind his hands after a while and was finally resigned to having his photograph taken.

Kurt could see that Blaine was nervous. He knew his boyfriend was trying not to talk about it because they were supposed to forget about work during their day off, but Kurt was sure the anxiety was eating him up inside. He stopped walking, pulling on Blaine's hand to stop him, too, and faced him with a little smile.

"You can't stop thinking about the case, can you?" He asked, brushing Blaine's curls back from where they had fallen on his forehead.

Blaine groaned and dropped his head on Kurt's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I'm trying to be distracted, I swear."

"Honey, it's fine, I know you're nervous," Kurt smiled reassuringly at him.

"I just… I feel really pressured to win this," Blaine sighed and moved to take a seat on a wooden bench, patting the spot beside him so Kurt would follow. "I want Ryan to go to jail so he can't hurt anyone else, I want Henry to feel safer and I really want to see my father's face when he loses…"

Kurt pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Then let's make one more effort, alright? What do you say if we go back home, I make a fresh pot of coffee and you keep working? I'll help you with anything you need. Oh! You can ask me questions and I can pretend I'm one of the people on the stand!" Kurt clapped his hands with enthusiasm. "When I was a kid I wanted to be an actor, you know, I'm actually quite good."

Blaine chuckled as he rolled his eyes fondly. He pulled Kurt into his arms and reclined against the back of the bench, letting Kurt nuzzle into his neck and cuddle closer. "God, Kurt, you're fantastic and I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Kurt closed his eyes, partly to get lost even more in how lovely it felt to be pressed to Blaine and partly because an old couple walked by and looked at them disapprovingly.

"But this is our day to relax and be together. And I definitely don't want you to waste your day with this," Blaine's hand moved down Kurt's arm until he could intertwine their fingers.

"We'll have plenty of time to do that once you kick your dad's ass," Kurt answered. "Then you'll be completely mine and stress-free." He stood up, dragging Blaine with him. "Come on, let's go back…"

"Kurt, really…" Blaine tried to protest.

"Let's make a deal," Kurt turned to him, throwing his arms around his neck and putting his mouth close to his ear so no one else could hear. "We work on this for the rest of the day and then we go to bed early so we can start fresh tomorrow."

"And what do you get out of all this?" Blaine asked, quirking an eyebrow playfully.

"I said going to bed early, not sleeping," Kurt purred into his ear, sending a shiver down Blaine's spine.

Blaine growled in frustration. "And you expect me to be able to work for hours before we can go to bed?"

"I call that motivation," Kurt kissed the corner of his mouth before turning around, grabbing his hand and calling Robert to come back to their sides before making their way back home.

* * *

Blaine woke up on Tuesday morning completely convinced that he was going to be sick.

"Stop worrying," Kurt muttered sweetly as he adjusted Blaine's blue tie. "You'll be amazing."

"You don't know that," Blaine answered, already regretting the eggs and toast he'd had for breakfast.

"Yes, I do," Kurt said firmly, looking right into his eyes. "Because you're amazing every day and today won't be an exception."

Blaine took Kurt's hands in his to stop him from straightening his blazer again. "I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't because of you. You know that, right?"

Kurt smiled softly and rested their foreheads together. "That's not true. You would've done this either way."

"I don't think so," Blaine closed his eyes, breathing in the intoxicating familiar scent of Kurt. "I was near my limit when I met you, Kurt. I wouldn't be here without you."

A lump formed in Kurt's throat and he did his best not to cry. "Don't say that." He kissed Blaine almost feverishly. "Don't ever say that."

"I love you," Blaine whispered against his lips.

"I love you, too," Kurt replied, nuzzling their noses together. "Now go. You can do this."

Blaine took a deep breath and grabbed his briefcase. "I'll call you when we have a breaks."

"Okay. And give Henry my best," Kurt squeezed his hand one last time before Blaine went down the stairs quickly and left the apartment, going out to the clear, sunny morning. He looked across the street to the huge, imposing building where he knew his father was getting ready too and felt his nerves building gradually.

Blaine knew his dad would come at him with everything he had against him. The good news was that Blaine had sat through enough of his father's trials to know what to expect from him, but Walter had never cared enough to attend any of Blaine's. He hoped he could use that to his benefit. He really needed anything he could find helpful.

The drive to the courthouse was too short for his taste. He immediately spotted Henry and his parents, who were waiting for him by the entryway. The three of them looked nervous and Blaine reminded himself that he was the one who was supposed to keep them calm. This wasn't about him, this was about Henry. He allowed himself a few seconds before getting out of the car and walking towards them with the most confident smile he was capable of pasting onto his face.

They entered the courtroom where the trial would take place after greeting each other and, once they were sitting at their assigned table, Blaine turned to Henry, who was terribly pale.

"I want you to stay positive, okay?" He said in a low, soothing voice, a bit surprised that he was able to speak so normally when he was about to freak out himself. "We have this under control. Just… don't worry."

Henry gave him a tentative smile. "I trust you, Blaine."

That seemed to make the weight on Blaine's shoulders feel a lot heavier, but he nodded solemnly. "I'll do my best not to let you down."

The courtroom started filling slowly as the time for the beginning of the trial came closer. Henry's parents were sitting in the first row just behind the desk where Blaine was with the boy. They spoke to their son in hushed, comforting whispers and his mother wouldn't let go of his hand. Blaine kept himself busy going through some documents, making sure he had everything he needed. He wished Kurt was there to hold his hand, too.

When his father entered the room, Blaine could've sworn the temperature dropped drastically. He didn't even look at Blaine. He walked with his head high, smugly, as if being there was nothing but a game to him, as if he was just humoring a silly game meant for children. He was so confident that he was going to win this. Blaine's stomach twisted with anger and anxiety.

Blaine wasn't familiar with the judge that had been assigned to the case, but he knew his father wasn't either, so he considered that a good thing. Walter had a lot of friends that were also judges and Blaine would've hated to have to present his case to a man that wasn't going to be impartial from the beginning.

After the formalities that they needed to go through before the opening of any trial, both lawyers were asked to present their cases. Blaine, being the lawyer for the plaintiff, got to go first. He forced his voice and his hands to stay steady and the only sign of his nervousness was the crazy beat of his heart, but he was the only one aware of that, so he really didn't care.

He cleared his throat before starting. His voice was surprisingly calm and steady and he was glad he didn't start by making a huge fool of himself. "Henry Brown is nineteen years old. He's a student at the University of Columbus and is majoring in History. He had the normal life of any teenager: hanging out with friends in his free time, forming study groups, living in a dorm and going home on the weekends to visit his parents and little sister, going on dates. He had just returned to campus from one of those dates on the night of January 6th when he was brutally attacked. He was beaten so badly that his spine was injured. He is now in a wheelchair. He had several internal injuries, but the main one is the one to his spine. He may never walk again." Blaine paused and scanned the room. His eyes wandered to where the members of the jury where sitting, back to Henry and his parents and then settled on Ryan McAllister, who was seated next to his father. He fixed his gaze on him before he spoke again. "All this happened for one and only one reason: Henry is openly gay."

A brief murmur ran through the room and Blaine waited for it to stop before continuing.

"Henry's had a healthy, steady relationship with the same boy for over a year. They did the same things that any other couples do: they go out for dinner, they go to the movies, they hold hands, they kiss… they did nothing wrong. They didn't hurt anyone. They were just doing what everyone has the right to do: love someone." Blaine swallowed. "Henry and I are here to prove that on the night of January 6th, Ryan McAllister attacked him simply because he doesn't agree with Henry's right to express his sexuality."

After a few more words to close his presentation, Blaine went back to his desk and sat next to Henry. He took a sip of water. That had gone better than he had believed it might, but… he knew what they were dealing with. They were in Ohio, after all. Most of the people in the jury were middle-aged men who had probably been raised with the same prejudices as his father. He hoped the facts would weigh more than those prejudices in the end, though.

Blaine watched as his father made his way to the front to make his own statement. Soon, he was clenching his fists under the table and having to use all of his self-control not to launch himself at his dad and punch him in the face again. Walter talked, way longer than Blaine had done, praising Ryan as a model student, a popular, friendly young man, who pretty much everyone liked. He talked about the different charities Mrs. McAllister organized and in which Ryan participated in his free time. He painted the picture of an extraordinary boy who was nothing but honest and polite to absolutely everyone and that didn't match at all with the guy Blaine had first met at his father's office weeks ago.

Blaine couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing. The way his father was twisting the truth was absolutely disgusting. He immediately realized that Walter wasn't planning to play fairly and he felt momentously desolated.

After the presentations were over, Henry's doctor took the stand to testify to and further explain Henry's injuries. Blaine was satisfied when the doctor assured them that the type of damage done to Henry's body could only have been caused by a physical attack. When it was Walter's turn to cross-examine, he pushed and pushed, trying to make him admit they could've been done in a different way. The doctor proved that those injuries hadn't been produced accidentally, by showing some of Henry's x-rays, launching himself into an elaborate demonstration of how every injury had been produced.

Walter called one of Ryan's teachers to the stand to testify to Ryan's usual behavior. The man said that Ryan was a very pleasant young man who rarely got into trouble and nothing more serious in his history than missing a due date on a paper.

Not much progress had been made when, a bit after noon, the judge stated that they would resume the case where it had left off the next morning. Blaine walked with the Browns out of the courthouse, his father walking past them without even looking at Blaine, and squeezed Henry's shoulder once they were outside under the warm, comforting sun.

"This is just the beginning, okay? We have plenty of time to win this thing," he said, making sure to put a smile on his face so the boy wouldn't be too worried.

Henry nodded. "Okay. We'll come back tomorrow and we'll do even better."

Blaine shook his hand. "Of course we will."

But Blaine was absolutely deflated by the time he arrived back to Ellie's. Kurt was with a couple of customers, so he dropped down on one of the chairs and crossed his arms over the table, hiding his face in them. The nerves that he had been holding back all morning came back to him now that he had a clear idea of what he was dealing with.

He felt a gentle touch on his arm after a few minutes and he peeked out reluctantly to find Kurt sitting across from him with a sweet smile on his face. "Hey."

"Hi," Blaine answered, sighing.

"How did it go?" Kurt asked gently, his hand searching out Blaine's to intertwine their fingers together.

"Horrible," Blaine said, shaking his head in disappointment. "I'm not sure if we're going to get enough support from the jury. And my dad's trying to make McAllister look like a model student and perfect man that…"

Kurt squeezed his hand and leaned closer. "Ssh, sweetheart, it's alright."

"It's not. You should've seen Henry's face. He's counting on me…" Blaine felt as if he had swallowed a ton of bricks.

"When do you have to go back?" Kurt brushed his knuckles with his thumb, soothingly.

"Tomorrow morning," Blaine closed his eyes, already dreading the second day of the trial.

"Okay, then, I'm going to make you a cup of tea to help you relax and then you can go upstairs and cuddle with Robert and Brownie on the couch for a little while before going back to work," Kurt stood up and placed a kiss on the back of Blaine's neck.

"I'd rather cuddle with you," Blaine whined.

"That will happen, too, but later," Kurt smiled and walked away to make the tea. He stopped at the door before entering the kitchen and turned around to look at him. "Don't give up just yet, baby."

Blaine ran his fingers through his hair, a bit desperately. "I won't."

He was tired of being defeated. It had happened way too many times for him to keep count. But this wasn't going to be one of those times. This time things were going to change.

The problem was that Walter thought he was invincible, so he walked around making everyone else believe the same thing. But Blaine knew how full of crap his father was. He just needed to find a way to show that to the jury.

* * *

The next morning, when Kurt had to practically push Blaine out the door so he would return for the second day of the trial, Kurt was almost as nervous as his boyfriend. Seeing Blaine feeling so insecure made his heart ache and he wished he had a way to help him. He knew nothing about law; the only thing he had to offer was his support, his love.

He spent his morning sending anxious glances to his cellphone, which remained silent on the counter. Kurt wasn't only worried for the course of the trial. He was also worried about Blaine. Having to go against his own father to defend something that was such a contentious sore spot between them… it couldn't be easy. Kurt had tried to talk to Blaine about it the previous night, as they lay in bed together in each other's arms, but Blaine hadn't seemed very enthusiastic about the conversation, so Kurt had ended up changing the topic.

His phone started buzzing just as he was handing a customer her change. Kurt forced a bright smile on his face until she turned around to leave and then he immediately grabbed the phone and retreated into the kitchen to take the call.

"Blaine?" He blurted out, hating himself for sounding so anxious when Blaine needed him calm, when his voice was supposed to be soothing and not so desperately high.

"No, kiddo," Burt said from the other end. "But I'm guessing from that greeting that you still haven't heard from Blaine today…"

Kurt exhaled loudly and leaned against the kitchen's wall. "Hi, Dad. No, he hasn't called yet."

Burt made a sound of impatience. "I've been thinking about it all morning. He didn't seem very confident when I called him yesterday."

Kurt felt warmth spreading through his body when he father said he had called Blaine. Knowing that Burt cared about his boyfriend so much made his heart beat so hard that he was afraid he would burst with happiness. "He's terrified of losing. Seeing and hearing his father yesterday nearly shattered his confidence…"

"He's so much better than that man," Burt replied with conviction. "If someone can win this thing, that's Blaine. I wish he didn't let his father get to him so much…"

"Me too," Kurt sighed heavily. "And I wish I could be there with him. I feel like having more support would help with his nerves. But I have several orders that are being picked up today and tomorrow and I can't close the bakery…"

"Isn't the verdict supposed to be announced on Friday, if everything goes according to schedule? I think that's what he told me, at least," Burt asked, thoughtful.

"Yes," Kurt answered as he heard the door opening and, peeking from the kitchen, saw a new customer coming in. "Listen, dad, I really have to go now. Can I call you later?"

"Sure, kiddo. And tell Blaine to give me a call as soon as he can," Burt told him. "I want to know how he's doing."

"I will," Kurt walked out of the kitchen and stood behind the counter while the woman that had just arrived studied one of the display cases with a critic eye. "And thank you. It means a lot to me that you worry about him."

"He's family," Burt said naturally. "I'll talk to you later, Kurt."

"Bye, dad."

Kurt ended the call and forced himself to shove his own worries to the back of his mind before pasting a big smile on his face and walking towards the clearly undecided woman that was scanning his cakes as if she was taking x-rays of them.

Predictably, she ended up being quite a difficult customer (the kind that asked about every single ingredient in every single cake), which for once Kurt was thankful for. He needed to keep his mind busy or he'd go crazy expecting news from Blaine.

When it was almost closing time and he still hadn't heard from his boyfriend, Kurt was on edge. The trial couldn't take that long, could it? Blaine had only been gone for the morning the previous day? How long had it been since he left?

He received a text message just when he was considering getting into his car and driving all the way to the courthouse to find out what the hell was going on.

_From Blaine:_

_I'm with Henry going over what he has to say during his statement tomorrow. Should be home in an hour. Sorry._

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. He still didn't know how things had gone during the actual trial that day, but at least he knew when Blaine would be home. He rushed through the things he had to do at the bakery, locked the doors, turned the lights out and went upstairs to their apartment.

He started working on dinner, chicken with vegetables, putting everything in the oven so it would roast slowly. He then checked the time: according to what Blaine's message had said, he should be arriving in fifteen minutes. Kurt thought it was the perfect amount of time to draw a bath for his boyfriend so he could relax before eating.

He filled the tub with hot water and poured a bit of his favorite jasmine-scented oil in it. He was just making sure the towels were clean and fluffy enough and leaving them on the edge of the sink for Blaine to reach them easily when he heard steps coming up the stairs.

Blaine looked exhausted. The immaculate aspect he had when he'd left that morning had vanished at some point during the day. His hair had broken free from its gel prison, the green tie was loose and the first two buttons of his shirt were undone. Kurt looked at him with an sympathetic smile as he dropped his briefcase on the floor and walked right into his boyfriend's waiting arms.

"Hi," Blaine muttered, voice muffled because his mouth was pressed against Kurt's shoulder.

"Hey, baby," Kurt turned his head slightly to the side so he could press a kiss right under Blaine's ear. He allowed Blaine to just melt into his embrace for a minute, rubbing his back slowly, but when he felt Blaine was about to say something, he didn't give him time to. "Come with me."

Kurt intertwined their fingers together and guided Blaine into the bathroom. The wonderful scent of the oil Kurt had used in it immediately hit Blaine's senses and a tiny smile appeared on his face. Kurt slid Blaine's blazer down his shoulders before undoing the tie completely and taking it off. He started unbuttoning Blaine's shirt next, as his boyfriend went absolutely laxed in his arms.

"You didn't have to do this," Blaine whispered, as if speaking louder was too much of an effort.

"I wanted to," Kurt answered, letting his fingers touch Blaine's skin as he took his shirt off. "And dinner is almost ready. You can take your time in here and I'll keep it warm in the oven until you're done."

"Would you join me?" Blaine asked, grabbing Kurt's wrists to stop him when he was about to pop open the button of his slacks. "I really want to be with you right now."

Kurt's smile got even softer, if that was possible. "Of course," he agreed, brushing his lips against Blaine's cheekbone in just the ghost of a kiss. "Let me just turn the oven off so the food doesn't burn and I'll be right back."

Blaine finished undressing as he heard Kurt rummaging in the kitchen and had just got into the warm, comforting water when his boyfriend returned. Kurt took his clothes off quickly and gestured for Blaine to make room for him. He slipped into the water behind the other man, putting a leg on each side of Blaine and letting him rest against his chest. Blaine immediately sighed in contentment.

Kurt started running his wet fingers gently though Blaine's hair to get the rest of the gel off and massaged his scalp, knowing that would help him relax. "Are you okay?" He asked in a low, sweet voice.

Blaine nodded. His hands slid under the water until they were resting on Kurt's knees. He took a deep breath. "I guess I am, yeah."

"Want to talk about it?" Kurt said, and started humming a soothing melody at the back of his throat as he placed his lips on Blaine's temple and kept them there.

Blaine was silent for a while and he was so grateful that Kurt didn't pressure him to talk. He finally found the words he wanted to say. "It's just…not really knowing which side the balance is leaning is killing me. Every time I think I do something right, every time I actually think I can win this thing, he walks to the front, opens his mouth and charms everyone," Blaine didn't even need to say it for Kurt to know he was talking about his father. Kurt's hands moved in a slow, gentle caress until they were on Blaine's neck. He started kneading at the knots and tensed muscles at the back with his thumbs. "It feels like I'm fighting against the tide. When I think I'm getting to the shore, it shoves me back even further." Blaine sighed, exhausted, and then let out a low groan when Kurt touched an especially sore spot on his neck. "I don't know whether we can expect to win in a place like this. This is Ohio after all. Most of the people in that jury may deny the fact that what happened to Henry is an atrocity just because he's gay, because they think he's sick. That _we_ are sick."

Kurt kissed the top of his head. "You have the chance to show them they are wrong. Maybe you can't change every mind, but you may be able to change a few and that's good, too, Blaine."

"I don't want to disappoint Henry," Blaine whispered. That seemed to have been haunting his whole life, disappointing people. He just wanted to do things right for once.

"No matter what happens, we'll be there for him," Kurt assured him quietly. "We've had it rough, too. Maybe not as bad as him, but it was still hard for us. And right now... I think we're a wonderful example of how things can get better." Kurt tilted his head to be able to look at Blaine in the eyes, with a sweet smile gracing his lips. "I have you and you have me and, I don't know what you think, but I believe we're quite happy."

Blaine couldn't help but smile and move forward to kiss Kurt. "We are. We absolutely are."

They shared a few kisses and a comfortable silence, enjoying the smooth warmth of the water around them. Kurt decided not to push anymore, letting Blaine talk if he needed to, which he did after a couple of minutes.

"Am I an idiot for feeling bad for the fact that my dad hasn't even looked at me once?" Blaine asked, his voice a bit shy. "There's a tiny part of me still waiting for him to accept me and I know it's silly, but I just... I don't know."

"There's nothing silly about that," Kurt shook his head slowly. He bit his lip before speaking again. "But..."

"But he won't. Ever," Blaine finished for him in a dark monotone.

Kurt swallowed. "No, baby I don't think he will." He wrapped his arms around him tightly. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Blaine shrugged. "I should be used to it by now."

Kurt wanted to say that no one should have to get used to something like that, but he didn't because he knew that wouldn't help. He smiled sadly and hooked his chin on his boyfriend's shoulder. "I don't know if it's a good moment or not to tell you that my dad was really worried about you today. You should give him a call. He really cares about you."

When Kurt saw the way Blaine's lips gradually formed a smile, he realized he had done something right.

"I'm not really sure the moment to mention your dad is while we are naked and pressed together in a bath tub, but thanks for telling me," he said playfully.

Kurt squeezed his side, making him yelp. "Shut up."

Blaine looked at him, eyes bright and smirking teasingly. "Make me."

Kurt didn't have to be told twice before capturing Blaine's mouth in his, kissing the rest of the tension from his boyfriend.

* * *

Blaine squeezed Henry's shoulders before leaning down to be eye level with him. "Are you ready?" He asked.

Henry looked a little pale, like he could get sick. "I'm not really looking forward to talking about it again, but if that's what it takes, I'll do it."

"Good," Blaine smiled reassuringly. "Do you remember everything we talked about?"

"I do," Henry nodded firmly.

"This is the last effort," Blaine reminded him, but he sort of was reminding himself as well. "Then you can put this behind you."

Henry closed his eyes, as if he could picture that. "That's all I want. I want to stop thinking about this and move on."

Blaine was about to answer when another boy came walking down the hall with a smile on his face just as reassuring as Blaine's. Blaine moved to the side as the boy kneeled in front of Henry's wheelchair. Henry smiled and leaned closer to kiss him on the lips.

"Hey," Henry said.

"Hey," he answered and then looked up at Blaine. "Hey, Blaine."

"Hi, Derek," Blaine answered. He had met Henry's boyfriend a few weeks ago and the boy had given his testimony the previous day. It had been pretty emotional to hear him talk about Henry and their relationship and what had happened that terrible night. It was obvious the two of them were very much in love and Blaine was happy to see Henry still had Derek's support after the attack.

He walked away to give them a few minutes alone together until they were allowed to enter the courtroom. This was the last day before the verdict and Blaine was doing his best to remain calm, but it was very hard. Only Ryan and Henry were going to take the stand today and both Blaine and Walter would have to make their final statement to try and convince the jury the next day. Blaine was seriously dreading that.

He finally sat at his desk with Henry about ten minutes later. They talked in quiet whispers, making sure they were both on the same page and that Henry still remembered some of the things that were important for him to say.

"The only thing I want from you when you're up there, Henry," Blaine told him, putting a hand on his knee and looking straight into the boy's eyes, "is for you to tell the truth. Just be honest. Tell the truth and everything will be alright."

Henry nodded and the judge entered the room, interrupting their conversation. They went through the usual formalities before Henry was called to the stand. He wheeled himself with as much dignity as he could, his head raised high and his jaw tensed. He swore to tell the truth with his gaze fixed on Blaine, who took a few steps towards him to start his interrogation.

Blaine asked him basic questions first about his age, his life in college, his sexuality, before asking him what had happened on the night of January 6th. Henry was very calm as he described how Derek and he had said goodbye and he had stayed outside smoking. When he started talking about how someone had approached him and started insulting him, he got really nervous and Blaine had to pause and give him a glass of water.

"Henry," Blaine said quietly, but loud enough for the entire courtroom to hear. "Would you please tell everyone here who was the person who attacked you?"

Henry swallowed. His hand shook a bit when he put the glass down. "Ryan McAllister."

Blaine nodded. "What kind of relationship did you have with Ryan until that point? Were you two friends?"

"Not really," Henry answered. "We shared one or two classes together, but I don't think we ever even had a conversation."

"So you didn't know that Ryan had a problem with gay people?" Blaine asked and he heard a chair moving behind him immediately. He looked over his shoulder to see his father looking seriously at the judge.

"I object, Your Honor. It was never proved that my client had or has any homophobic tendencies," Walter said.

 _Funny to hear you say that_ , Blaine thought.

"Please, Mr. Anderson, rephrase the question," the judge told him and Blaine nodded again.

"Alright. Henry, based on the few things you knew about Ryan, just from seeing him in class, would you had ever expected him to do what he did on January 6th?" Blaine said carefully, slowly, making sure his father didn't have grounds to object.

"No," Henry replied simply.

"So the attack took you completely by surprise and you had no way of anticipating what could happen, leaving you with no way to protect yourself," Blaine said, waiting until Henry confirmed his words with a subdued 'yes' before continuing. "What's the last thing you remember before you passed out, Henry?"

Henry took another sip of water and a steadying breath. "He spat on my face, gave me a last kick and told me _that better teach you not to be a fag_. He turned around and left after that."

Blaine swallowed down the bitterness that hearing that word always produced in him. "Thanks, Henry. I have no further questions."

Blaine turned around, walked back to his desk and sat down as gracefully as he could. He kept his eyes on Henry, avoiding looking at his father as he stood up to start his part of the examination.

"Henry," he started, his voice careful and almost mellow, so fake that Blaine felt a shudder go down his spine. "Can you tell me what age you were when you decided that you were gay?"

Both Blaine and Henry cringed at the choice of words and Blaine could swear Derek did too, behind him in the front row of seats.

"Being gay isn't a decision," Henry said as calmly as he could. "But I was thirteen years old when I came out to my parents."

"Is it true that when you were fifteen years old you were severely injured in a car accident?" Walter asked immediately afterward, as if he was not interested in Henry's actual reply.

Blaine quirked an eyebrow. What did that have to do with anything?

"Uhm, yeah, it's true," the hesitation in Henry's voice told Blaine he was a little confused as to why that was being brought up.

"Would you tell us how that happened?" Walter paced slowly, not even looking at Henry. "And please remember you're under oath."

Henry remained silent and Blaine saw him swallow thickly. Something was wrong. Walter knew something he didn't. Blaine started panicking.

"Let me ask you again, Henry," Walter muttered, his voice soft as silk, but sharp as a knife. "You said you were injured in a car accident, is that correct?"

Henry looked at Blaine desperately for a few seconds. "Yes."

"Was it really a car accident?" Walter insisted.

Blaine's hands were gripping so tightly to each other that his knuckles were white.

"No."

"What happened, Henry?" Walter stopped and turned around to look at the boy with a smile.

"I…" Blaine could see Henry's chest heaving. "I… I tried to kill myself."

A gasp went through the room, sounding loud in Blaine's ears.

"How did you try to kill yourself?" Walter continued.

"I… I jumped in front of a car," Henry answered quietly as a track of tears went down his cheeks.

"So, you lied," Walter turned to the jury to flash them his best smile. "You said someone ran over you with their car, but the truth is, the _accident_ was nothing but your fault. It was intentional."

Henry closed his eyes. "Yes."

"I'm sorry," Walter walked towards him. "I couldn't hear you. Could you repeat that?"

"Yes, I lied!" Henry exploded. "I lied that time because I was ashamed, but I'm not lying now and I know that's what you're trying to say!"

"I'm not trying to say anything, Henry, the facts speak for themselves," Walter chuckled.

"Why would I lie about this?" Henry glanced at Blaine, silently asking him to do something. "Why would I say Ryan attacked me if he didn't?"

"Maybe because you want attention? Maybe because you're jealous of Ryan? He's a popular man, a star on the football team. He has a beautiful girlfriend and amazing grades…"

"I'm not jealous of Ryan!" Henry yelled. "I like my life! Or I did until he put me in a fucking wheelchair!"

The judge banged his gavel loudly to quiet him.

"Your Honor, the fact that Henry lied when he was fifteen doesn't have any relevance now. He was a scared kid who was desperate. He's a man now and there are no logical reasons to bring up that incident in this case," Blaine said, finally recovering enough to stand up and talk.

"My reason for bringing this up," Walter said, facing Blaine for the first time in three days, "was to show that Henry had no problems in lying about similar matters before…"

"He tried to kill himself!" Blaine exclaimed, starting to feel himself losing control.

"And why didn't he say that? Why did he hide it? What were his motives?" Walter asked, walking towards Blaine's desk and standing just a few feet away.

Blaine smashed his fist on the table. "I'm sure you, of all people, can come up with a few reasons why someone would consider taking their own life!"

Blaine could feel the vein on his neck pumping. The satisfied smirk on his father's face made him see red because of the anger taking over his body. It took him a few seconds to realize the judge was calling for order.

"I have no more questions," Walter said, grinning, as he moved to his desk and sat down, nonchalantly.

It took a while for Blaine to get his breathing controlled, but it took just a second for him to see the entire case crumble like a house of cards.

* * *

Kurt was having another day full of anxiety. Blaine had looked very pale that morning before leaving for the courthouse. All the peace and comfort had vanished as soon as the alarm went off and his hazel eyes opened. Kurt had tried to make him feel better, dropping kisses all over his face, neck and shoulders. It had gotten him a smile, at least for a few seconds, but then the nerves took over again.

And now Kurt was going through another day full of waiting. He had his cellphone in the front pocket of his jeans. They were tight enough that he would immediately feel it vibrating, but he still checked it every few minutes to make sure there weren't any missed calls.

He was cleaning one of the tables after it had been vacated by a customer when the door opened again. A blonde girl came in, looking around. Kurt forced his usual smile and took a deep breath to steady himself again.

"Good morning!" He welcomed her.

She twisted her hands together. "Uhm. I'm looking for Blaine Anderson?"

Kurt frowned. Very few people knew about Blaine living there with him. Who could this girl be? "He's not here right now."

The girl didn't show any signs of wanting to leave. She stayed there, fidgeting, avoiding Kurt's eyes.

Kurt frowned even deeper.

His mind started working at high speed. His first thought was that maybe this girl was a friend of Blaine's, but he knew for a fact he didn't have any friends. He thought she could be a girl Blaine may have dated to make his parents happy (it _did_ sound like something his boyfriend would do), but he was sure Blaine would have mentioned something like that. Still, his protective, possessive side surfaced.

"Would you like me to give him any messages?" He asked a little sharply.

"I... I'm not sure if that's a good idea. I need to see him," the girl answered.

"I'm sure Blaine wouldn't mind if you told me what this is about," Kurt said. "I'm his boyfriend."

To Kurt's surprise, the girl relaxed a bit at that.

"My name is Julie," she took a step forward. "I'm... I'm Ryan McAllister's girlfriend. He is..."

"The guy who beat Henry Brown up," Kurt dropped the cloth he had been using to clean the table on a chair. That was the last thing he had expected to hear. "What are you doing here?"

Julie swallowed, going back to look absolutely nervous. "I need to see Mr. Anderson. I... I was the one who called the ambulance when Henry was attacked. I saw what happened from my dorm's window."

Kurt's heart stopped beating for a second before it started pounding wildly. "Oh my God..."

"I hope I'm not too late. Ryan told me the verdict will be announced tomorrow..." Julie muttered as Kurt quickly reacted and took his cellphone from his pocket, dialing Blaine's number and hoping he was on a break. When the call went straight to voicemail, Kurt swore under his breath, not knowing what to do.

"You want to testify against your boyfriend?" Kurt asked, clutching his phone tightly. This could be exactly what Blaine needed. This could be the difference between winning and losing…

Julie's eyes filled with tears and she seemed to be having some trouble breathing. "Y-yes."

He made his decision in the time it took Julie to blink. He ran to the kitchen and turned the oven off, not giving a damn about the half baked apple pies he had in there, grabbed his keys and went back to the shaking girl who stood in the middle of the bakery.

"Come on, maybe we can get there in time to talk to him..." He said, opening the front door and waiting for her to follow.

"Please, don't make me go there," Julie pleaded without moving. "I don't want Ryan to know I'm doing this."

Kurt did his best to hide his desperation. "Julie, I understand you're afraid, but if we don't get to Blaine right away, it may be too late to do this."

The tears Julie had been holding back finally spilled down her cheeks. "O-okay, okay."

Kurt closed the bakery and ushered Julie into his car. He was buzzing with a mix of excitement and anxiety. He turned the engine on and drove away before looking at the girl sitting next to him. Her long blonde hair fell on her shoulders and her brown eyes were clouded. Her lips kept trembling and she was holding herself, as if she needed something to keep her from falling apart.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked gently.

"I think so, yes," she answered in a small voice.

"Can I ask you something?" Kurt waited until she nodded to go on. "How did you know where to find Blaine? He tried not to let many people know where he was…"

"I called his old office and a woman named Lucy gave me this address as soon as I told her who I was," Julie explained. "She told me that if Mr. Anderson wasn't here, then his boyfriend would help me find him."

 _I'm sending Lucy a whole basket of muffins_ , Kurt thought, as he smiled slightly. That woman was an angel. "My name is Kurt, by the way. Sorry I wasn't very… polite back in the bakery." He stopped at a red light and turned to look back at her. "People who come over to see Blaine aren't always very nice."

She nodded, thoughtfully. "I-I've never met a gay couple before."

"We are just like any other couple," Kurt shrugged. "The only difference is that we don't have the same rights and we're frowned upon at some places… but the truth is, we love each other, we spend time together, we understand each other… we're humans. Someday everyone will realize that."

They passed the rest of the way to the courthouse in silence. When Kurt parked the car, Julie moved to open the door and get out, but he stopped her, putting his hand on her arm, gently.

"Listen, what you're doing here… it's the right thing to do," Kurt assured her, smiling softly at her. "But I want you to be sure either way, because I know it might be hard. I want Blaine and Henry to win this, I believe in them… but I can see you're having trouble with this."

Julie's eyes were fixed on her lap when she talked again. "My sister came out to me this weekend."

Kurt's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Oh."

"I-I didn't tell anyone that I saw what Ryan did. I actually didn't really care, except I didn't want him to end up in jail, but I didn't care about what he did because… because I thought gay people deserved it, somehow. That they had chosen to be something that's wrong so they needed to… to see it wasn't okay…"

Kurt didn't correct her or interrupt her. He could see her thoughts running, twisting, flashing in her gaze, the way she was processing all the information, the way she was fighting to really understand now.

"But Emily… she's sixteen and I've never loved anyone the way I love my sister. I realized that not even the fact she likes girls could change that. I realized that what Ryan did to Henry could happen to her someday and that I would never forgive myself if I didn't do something," Julie was really crying now and Kurt searched for a tissue in the glove compartment. "I love Ryan. He's been an amazing boyfriend since we got together but… I can't deal with this. I can't be with someone who could be a threat to my sister's life."

Kurt smiled at her, a little emotional himself. "Henry, Emily and all the kids like them, and all the people like me and Blaine… we appreciate what you're doing. This is going to be a huge step for all of us."

Julie took a deep breath. "Then let's just do it."

Their footsteps resounded in the cavernous halls as they walked together, looking for any sign of Blaine. Kurt wasn't sure if he could just enter a courtroom while a trial was in session, but he knew he had to do something, anything, to get to Blaine right now.

They turned a corner, the sound of voices filling their ears and found a bunch of people getting ready to go into one of the courtrooms. Kurt saw Blaine immediately, as if he had radar especially designed to find his boyfriend.

"Blaine!" He exclaimed, grabbing Julie's hand and rushing towards him.

Blaine turned around, the frown on his face dissipating into a shocked expression. "Kurt? What are you doing here?" He asked, as soon as they reached him. Kurt saw Henry and his family not far behind. Blaine looked worried once more. "Are you okay? Did something happen? Is it Burt?"

Kurt didn't have enough time to find Blaine's concern about his father endearing, but he filed it for later. "No, sweetheart, dad is fine," he said, a little breathless. "I… I came here with Julie."

"Julie?" Blaine blinked in confusion until he noticed the blonde girl attached to Kurt, who was glancing nervously around. "I… who are you?"

Kurt squeezed Julie's hand to give her some confidence, but before the girl could even open her mouth, another voice interrupted them.

"Julie? What are you doing here?"

They all turned around to find Ryan, who was staring at his girlfriend in even more confusion than Blaine had. Kurt felt Julie stepping a bit closer to him, and he was glad he was still holding her hand.

"I…"

"What are you doing with these people?" He asked in a hushed, low voice, getting closer so no one would hear them. He looked at the way hers and Kurt's hands were still linked and then examined Kurt with evident disgust in his face. "Let go of my girlfriend, homo."

"Ryan!" Walter exclaimed from behind him in a reprimanding, angry tone. "Do you want someone to hear you speaking like that? It could cost us… oh. Hummel is here. I understand now why you couldn't hold back."

Kurt narrowed his eyes at him but didn't say anything. He didn't care what Walter Anderson said. He only cared about helping Blaine.

"Julie, you haven't answered my question," Ryan muttered, reaching out as if he was waiting for the girl to take his hand.

Julie's grip on Kurt's hand tightened nervously. "I'm here to see Mr. Anderson."

"You have the wrong one, then," Walter said, giving her a smile, the kind that never reached his eyes. "Come with us, darling. You can talk to Ryan after we are done for the day."

"No," she said, her voice failing her a bit. "It's Blaine Anderson I'm looking for, not you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ryan took another step towards her and she moved to shield herself slightly behind Kurt. "Get out of the way, homo, and stop touching my girlfriend."

"Keep insulting my boyfriend, Ryan. It will only make sending you to jail even more satisfying," Blaine muttered angrily, stepping next to Kurt to hide Julie even more, even though he still wasn't sure about what was going on.

"Like you could win this, Blaine," Walter laughed mockingly. "Everyone knows you aren't good enough to convince the jury."

"But I can help him," Julie said softly, causing all of them to turn to her. She swallowed and looked for Kurt's eyes, desperate from some support. He squeezed her hand again. "I saw what happened. I called the ambulance."

Ryan gaped like a fish out of the water, incredulous. "You… you wouldn't betray me."

"What you did is wrong, Ryan…" Julie murmured.

"You're my _girlfriend_ ," he spat, furiously.

"Not anymore," she replied.

Ryan took another step forward, clearly to grab Julie and pull her away from the other two men, but Walter stopped him, holding his elbow.

"No," he cut off, eyes flashing with rage. "Let's go inside, Ryan. Don't waste your time with these people…"

"But…"

"I said no," Walter's voice raised a bit. "We have to get ready for you to make your statement. Come on. Now."

Blaine, Kurt and Julie stayed silent and unmoving until both Walter and Ryan entered the courtroom, even though Walter had to practically push Ryan away from them.

Julie was shaking and Kurt immediately turned around to check on her, but Blaine beat him to it.

"Are you alright?" He asked, looking at her with concern in his gentle hazel eyes. She nodded and finally let go of Kurt's hand. "Is it true what you just said? You saw what happened between Ryan and Henry?"

"Yes, I saw it from my room," Julie answered. "I… I want to help, if that's alright."

Kurt was happy to see relief washing over Blaine's face.

"Of course, of course it's alright," Blaine smiled at her and put a hand on her arm, and Kurt knew he was holding back the urge to hug the girl. "We have just a couple minutes before we have to go back in there, so I need to talk to you quickly."

"I'm going to leave you two to it, then," Kurt said. "I have to go back to Ellie's."

Blaine, not giving a damn about the people around them, got closer to him and cupped his boyfriend's face in his hands. "You're amazing. Thank you so much for coming over, Kurt…"

"It was nothing, honey. I just wanted to help," Kurt smile grew wider. Blaine leaned in and kissed him, chastely but sweetly. "Good luck."

"I'll see you at home later, okay?" Blaine reluctantly let go of Kurt, who said goodbye to Julie and started walking out of the building.

Kurt climbed back into his car and turned the engine on, ready to return to the bakery with the feeling that things were about to be alright.

* * *

Saying Blaine was euphoric that night when he got home was an understatement. He practically tackled Kurt onto the bed and started kissing every expanse of pale skin at his disposal. Considering Kurt had just come out of the shower and was only covered by a towel wrapped around his waist, it was a lot of skin to kiss.

"I'm assuming everything went – _oh_ – everything went well…" Kurt muttered, as Blaine circled his belly button with his tongue.

"I feel like we have some hope for the first time since this whole thing started," Blaine answered, his mouth never breaking contact, as he tugged on the towel to split it open. "I feel like I can actually _do_ this."

"Of course you can," Kurt said, allowing his fingers to tangle in Blaine's hair, which was still stiff because of the gel he had put on it that morning. "I've always known you could…"

Blaine placed his hands on Kurt's stomach and then rested his head on them, looking up at his boyfriend. "You should've seen my dad's face. He was so upset. And Ryan was so nervous after seeing Julie there that he actually almost called me and Henry fags while he was on the stand. Everyone heard him and it has to count for something."

"It ends tomorrow," Kurt said, caressing his cheek, loving the way Blaine leaned into the touch. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I really want to put this behind us. I want to let go of everything and finally start living my life," Blaine smiled at him, turning his head to drop a kiss on Kurt's side, before adding, "with you."

* * *

Blaine was pacing restlessly back and forth across the hallway. The door to the courtroom was still shut, so he couldn't just go inside and sit at his desk. It was too early. He had been too anxious to stay at home and wait around, so he had ended up at the courthouse half an hour before everyone else. It was mostly empty, every single sound resounding in the hallways loud and clear.

He had stopped at the Starbucks down the street for a coffee, mostly to kill some time, but now he was just staring at his cup numbly, thinking about everything that could happen that morning. a testimony like Julie's would normally mean the case was already won, but Blaine still had his reservations. He couldn't count on the people on the jury not being huge homophobic assholes who might believe that beating up a guy for being gay wasn't as bad as _being_ gay.

Blaine had paused his pacing to try and relax a little bit when a pair of hands slid on his face from behind, covering his eyes. He didn't have to hear the beautiful voice whispering into his ear to know who it was. Kurt's proximity was so familiar and soothing that he would've noticed it even in the middle of a crowd.

"Guess who?"

Blaine smiled, took Kurt's hands in his and turned around. What he wasn't expecting, though, was to see Kurt wasn't alone. Burt and Carole stood behind him, Burt with an arm around his wife's shoulders, both grinning widely at him.

"Oh my God, what are you two doing here?" He asked, smiling even more, the happiness of seeing the couple flooding his system.

"You thought we were going to miss your big triumph?" Burt asked, as Carole hurried to envelop him in a bone-crushing hug.

"I had to convince dad not to make any Team Blaine shirts," Kurt rolled his eyes. "I told him the idea was too Twilight-ish and also very, very tacky."

Blaine laughed wholeheartedly as he hugged Burt as well. "You really didn't have to come all the way here. No matter what the result is, it's still going to be a pretty short procedure…"

"We don't care, dear, we wanted to be here anyway," Carole kissed his cheek, throwing an arm around his waist to keep holding him. "Are you nervous? Is there anything we can do for you?"

Blaine, still smiling, tugged on Kurt's sleeve to bring him closer and kissed the corner of his mouth. "You've done more than enough. Thank you."

He was still holding his cup of coffee and Kurt took it from him to avoid spilling it when Carole gave him one more hug. "This is cold already. Do you want me to run over to Starbucks and get you another one?"

"No, honey, that's fine," Blaine answered. He had something much better than caffeine to keep him calm now.

"Well, isn't this precious?" A cold voice said behind them and the four of them turned around to find Walter Anderson walking towards them in his expensive designer suit. "What a beautiful scene."

"Get lost, Anderson," Burt huffed. Kurt put his hand on his father's elbow just to make sure he wouldn't do anything crazy.

"I'm afraid you're the one who should 'get lost', Hummel," Walter replied, smirking. "You don't belong here. The only place you belong is back at your stinky car shop. Leave places like this to important people."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm more than happy with my _stinky_ car shop," Burt answered, before clapping Blaine on the back. "I'm only here to see Blaine make you look like an idiot in front of everyone."

Walter gritted his teeth. "Then you came here for nothing, Hummel, because that's not going to happen. It would be better if you left."

"Well, you see, I can't do that," Burt grinned. Kurt was overwhelmed with love for his father right then. "I have a rule in my life and that is that family comes first. No matter what, I have to be there to support my family. One of my boys is going to win a very big case today, so there's no where else I'd rather be."

"We'll see about that," Walter spat. "There's something you need to learn about Blaine, Hummel, since it seems you're so keen on adopting him: he's worthless, he's disappointing and he never does anything right."

Blaine swallowed. He didn't need this today, not when he was already so nervous.

"We clearly are talking about two different people, then, Anderson, because the Blaine I know is a great man," Burt shrugged, as if what he was saying didn't mean the world to Blaine.

Walter laughed, visibly irritated. "So you're not only poor and tasteless, you're also blind and stupid."

Kurt was ready to launch himself at Walter, but Blaine quickly wrapped his arms around him to stop him.

"Who the hell do you think you are to judge people? You're the worst piece of crap I've seen in my life!" Kurt practically yelled.

"Calm down, Kurt," Burt said, soothingly. "I can't take seriously anything a man like him thinks about me."

"Likewise," Walter smirked again.

"Why don't you go and leave us alone?" Blaine was still holding Kurt back, but looked at his father over his boyfriend's shoulder. "I'm sure you don't want to risk catching the gay or the poor, right? Or, even worse, you could catch some decency and kindness, God forbid." Blaine didn't even wait to see if his father stayed or not, he turned to Kurt and kissed his cheek. "What happens with the bakery while you're here? Is it closed?"

"Yeah, one day isn't going to affect the business at all," Kurt shrugged. "Oh, and Finn called while we were on our way here and told me to wish you good luck."

"He stayed at the garage," Burt explained. "Someone needed to stay in charge."

"It's fine, really," Blaine smiled. "I'm still seeing him tonight for Friday night dinner."

Walter was still standing there, gaping a bit in surprise at being ignored for the first time in his life. Furiously, he turned around and stomped away down the hallway.

A few minutes later, Henry arrived with his family and his boyfriend. Blaine introduced them to the Hudson-Hummels just before they were allowed to enter the courtroom. Blaine took his usual place with Henry, who was paler and even more nervous than all the previous days, and their families sat in the first row right behind them. Walter and Ryan entered the room right after, neither of them even glancing their way.

The jury and the judge made their entrances next. Blaine felt the anxiety pooling in his stomach and he was sure that if he had to wait much longer he would be sick. Throwing up all over the courtroom didn't seem a good idea just then.

After a few formalities, the judge addressed the people in the jury. "Has the jury reached a verdict?"

The head of the jury, a tall, stern woman, stood up elegantly. "After hearing both sides of the case, as well as listening to the witnesses and specialists' input, the members of this jury find Mr. Ryan McAllister guilty of the charge of a felony hate crime causing injury."

Blaine didn't know he was holding his breath until he released it all at once after those words. He looked at Henry, who was panting in his attempt to hold back the tears.

"Mr. McAllister is sentenced to twelve years in prison, starting today," the judge sentenced. "Case closed." And with three quick bangs of his gavel, it was over.

Blaine heard Henry's yelps of excitement and relief first. He was frozen in his seat, incredulous, almost waiting for someone to tell him it was all a joke. But then he saw a police officer walking towards Ryan to make the arrest effective, holding a pair of handcuffs, and he knew it wasn't. It was real. He had _won_.

Someone was pulling him up to his feet and he suddenly found himself in Kurt's arms.

"You did it! Baby, you did it!" He was saying.

It was Kurt who finally made him react. Blaine covered his mouth with his hand and started laughing and crying at the same time, and then he couldn't help but pull Kurt into a passionate kiss because, fuck, he had just sent a homophobe to prison and if he couldn't celebrate it by kissing his boyfriend in public, then it all had been in vain.

Kurt kissed him back without hesitation, tasting the usual sweetness of Blaine's kisses and the saltiness of his tears. He pulled away to wipe Blaine's eyes carefully.

"Don't cry, baby. It's over now," Kurt whispered, brushing the track of tears on his cheeks with his lips.

Blaine nodded dumbly, still not really sure if he was breathing, if he could feel anything, if he had done it or not. His gaze fell on a quiet figure sitting alone at the other desk. His father hadn't moved since the sentence had been read. He seemed to have turned to stone, the only thing that showed any sort of movement were his eyes, unfocused, lost.

He had beaten his father. Blaine Anderson had proved that he could actually be better than the man who kept telling him what a disgrace he was.

He hugged Kurt tighter, feeling his legs would give way any second, overwhelmed as he was.

He felt a pat on his back and turned to see Burt and Carole standing there. The pride in their eyes was so evident that Blaine wanted to cry all over again.

"Well done, buddy," Burt exclaimed, so happy he was almost hysterical. "I knew you could do this!"

"We're so happy for you!" Carole jumped up and hugged him close.

"This deserves a celebration!" Burt announced. "Come on. Let's go have lunch somewhere nice. It's on me!"

Kurt started urging him out of the courtroom, his arms securely wrapped around Blaine's waist, constantly nuzzling into his neck. Blaine was so happy he was afraid he would explode in the middle of the hallway. They followed Burt and Carole and Blaine didn't feel tempted to look back as he left his old life behind once and for all, already loving the new one that he had barely started to live.


	18. Chapter 18

Living life the way they wanted to live it was easier than Blaine had ever imagined it could be. Waking up next to Kurt every morning was easy, helping him in the bakery during the day was easy, going to his photography classes three times a week was easy, going to Lima for dinner with their family was easy, falling asleep in Kurt's arms (or with Kurt in his arms, depending what they were in the mood for each particular night) was easy. Blaine had never thought his life could be like that but it was and he loved every second of it.

Sundays were still his favorite days. It was just him and Kurt with nothing coming in between them. It was about lazy mornings, long walks with Robert, cuddling on the couch watching their favorite movies and just being with each other, which was what Blaine treasured most.

It was raining that particular Sunday morning. Kurt and Blaine had a thing for rain, since most of their special moments seemed to happen when the weather was grey and stormy outside. Winter was slowly rolling around once again and that only made Blaine want to snuggle under the blankets of their bed and sleep in as much as he could wrapped around Kurt.

That didn't seem to be Kurt's plan, though. The moment he opened his eyes, his delicious boyfriend next to him, with his long eyelashes painting his cheekbones and his full, beautiful lips looking so kissable, he couldn't resist him. He leaned closer and nuzzled their noses together, smiling, before moving down to mouth at his collarbone.

Blaine stirred slowly, his hands moving to the back of Kurt's head, fingers tangling in his hair, as Kurt sucked gently, leaving a little mark behind and then soothing it with his tongue.

"Mmmorning," Blaine muttered sleepily.

"Good morning, beautiful," Kurt replied, smiling against his skin. "Would you get on your back for me, please?"

Blaine shifted, changing positions, his eyes still closed, until he was fully on his back. Kurt straddled him and kissed him, deep and passionate, loving how sot and vulnerable Blaine was when he had just opened his eyes to the new day.

His fingertips ghosted gradually over Blaine's skin, travelling down until he could wrap his fingers around his length, which he started stroking teasingly, giving Blaine not even half of the friction he needed.

Blaine came into full consciousness with just a few tighter strokes. Kurt settled more comfortably and looked down at him with dark, hungry eyes, smiling at the little gasps of pleasure escaping from Blaine's mouth.

"Isn't this a nice way to wake up?" Kurt asked playfully. He already knew how much Blaine loved this. He remembered the first morning Blaine had woken up with Kurt's lips stretched around his erection, surprise and lust shining in his eyes and his orgasm striking him sooner than he expected at how amazing everything felt.

"No, it's horrible," Blaine groaned, tilting his hips up to try and get more friction.

Kurt chuckled and leaned down to kiss his neck. "You're a terrible liar."

Blaine's hands started roaming down Kurt's back until they reached his ass. Blaine kneaded at the tantalizingly firm flesh there, spreading the cheeks apart a bit to have Kurt twisting with anticipation. One of his fingers sneaked in between them to barely brush against his hole and he felt it twitch at the contact. Blaine smiled into Kurt's chestnut hair.

Blaine had learnt that Kurt was exquisitely dominant in bed, no matter who was topping and who was bottoming. During the first months, every time they had sex, it was because Kurt had initiated it. Blaine loved when he took charge. It drove him crazy with desire. But he also knew that teasing, feather-like touches that implied more could turn Kurt into a desperate mess of pure _want_. It paralyzed him, as if he was waiting to see what Blaine would do next.

Blaine tugged gently at Kurt's hair to bring him up for a kiss. It started sweet and slow, but soon Kurt was pushing his tongue into Blaine's mouth, needing more. It gradually changed into an open mouthed, breathless kiss, as Kurt stopped holding himself up on his knees and finally let their hips fit together.

They started rocking against each other, building the perfect pace as they kept kissing. Blaine reached towards his bedside table for the lube that had been left there last night. He didn't stop moving as he coated his fingers with it and then he touched Kurt's entrance again, who startled a bit at the cold feeling, but immediately recovered and started pushing back, trying to get Blaine to touch him more intimately. Blaine complied, sliding one finger inside and loving how Kurt moaned low in contentment.

Blaine took his time opening and stretching him and Kurt helped by pushing back eagerly against his hand every time Blaine thrust his fingers in, eagerly. He had barely inserted a third finger when Kurt growled, impatient and grabbed his wrist.

"Enough. Please, it's enough," he said, his voice high and desperate.

Blaine nodded and grabbed the lube again, covering his cock with it. He put his hands on Kurt's hipbones, brushing his thumbs against the skin there and looking into Kurt's blue eyes for a moment, before guiding him down and sinking deep inside of his boyfriend with a groan.

He always needed to stop at times like this. It didn't matter if Kurt was inside him or if he was the one inside Kurt, he always needed a second to let the overwhelming feeling of being so close to the man he loved beat in his chest before he calmed down and was able to move. Those seconds, those brief seconds of just taking in how beautiful Kurt was, how it felt to be connected, how happy he was to be there, were precious to him. Those seconds seemed to be what made his new life real because he was never as vulnerable as he was then, giving everything he had to someone else and receiving everything Kurt had in return. In times like those, he knew Kurt was the man he would love until the day he died.

Kurt started moving and Blaine met him with every thrust. They created their perfect rhythm, holding each other tightly and panting with their mouths glued together. The bed creaked a little when Kurt jerked sharply as he felt Blaine brushing his prostate just right. Blaine moaned brokenly at how perfectly Kurt was clenching around him and he had to take a deep breath to avoid coming already.

" _Blaine_..." Kurt whined against his neck.

"I know," Blaine answered, breathless. "God, Kurt, I know."

A few more thrusts were too much for Kurt. The angle was too good, the pressure was perfect and he found himself crying out and coming all over their chests, unable to hold back any longer. Seeing Kurt so wrecked sent Blaine over the edge and he let go, too, spilling buried deep inside of Kurt, moaning his boyfriend's name loudly and clinging to him through his orgasm.

Chests heaving, they collapsed against each other and shared a few lazy kisses as they came down from their highs. Blaine didn't move and Kurt didn't ask him to pull out, although it had to be a bit uncomfortable for him. Being connected was much more important than being sore.

"I love you," Kurt whispered as he brushed back the mass of sweaty curls that had ended up on Blaine's forehead.

"I love you more," Blaine replied against his lips. His eyes looked like melted honey, which had become Kurt's favorite color.

He smiled down at the man he loved, feeling so incredibly lucky to have him in his life. "Not possible."

Blaine wanted to argue, but kissing Kurt again was much more tempting.

* * *

It was a sunny, warm Saturday morning in April when Blaine drove to Lima alone. Kurt had stayed behind, working at the bakery, since Blaine had told him he needed to work with some classmates on a project. Instead, he parked outside of the Hudson-Hummel household barely after ten and knocked on the door to find a surprised Burt.

"I didn't know you were coming over, buddy," he said, letting him in and squeezing his shoulder in greeting.

"I was hoping you'd come with me," Blaine answered, shrugging, trying to act nonchalant, but failing miserably.

Burt didn't even hesitate. He put down the half empty cup of coffee he was holding. "Sure, I'll go with you. Where are we going?"

Blaine took a deep breath. "Well… I was wondering if you'd help me pick out an engagement ring."

Burt blinked for a second, but then he screamed (he actually _screamed_ , and it was so high pitched that Blaine had to look around the room to make sure Kurt wasn't there with them) and hugged him so hard that Blaine's feet didn't touch the floor anymore.

He decided to take that as Burt's blessing.

* * *

As the end of classes approached, Blaine had to get ready for a Photography exhibit he was supposed to put together to get his diploma. It was normal now to see him with his camera hanging around his neck all day. He even woke up in the middle of the night sometimes to snap a picture at something that inspired him. He took pictures of Ellie's customers, of things at the park when they went out for walks, of anything that caught his eye.

He couldn't tell who was more excited about the exhibit: him or Kurt.

"You're graduating! And on time! Considering how late you started classes last year, one would think you wouldn't have had enough time to graduate now!" Kurt had said, excitedly, as soon as Blaine told him about the event.

"Calm down, my love," Blaine had replied, laughing. "I need to know if you'd like to go so I can get you a ticket…"

"Get three!" And Blaine had been happy that he had actually listened to his boyfriend, because once Burt and Carole heard about it, they demanded tickets as well.

Blaine was nervous. His potential career as a photographer could depend on how his work for the exhibit was graded. But that wasn't the only valid reason for him to be freaking out inside. He had also decided to propose to Kurt after the exhibit.

He didn't think Kurt would say no, but he couldn't stop thinking about all of the things that could go wrong. Maybe Kurt wasn't ready yet or maybe he didn't want to get engaged until he knew they could get married. Marriage equality wasn't legal in Ohio ( _yet_ , Blaine thought, but who knew, that could change soon) but that didn't mean he didn't want to see a ring on Kurt's finger and another ring on his own finger. It was funny how much he wanted him after spending years and years of his life not even allowing himself to dream about loving someone and being loved back.

"You're going to be amazing," Kurt reassured him, as he went through their closet to try and choose the perfect shirt for Blaine to wear as his boyfriend sat on the edge of the bed, waiting. "I saw your pictures and they're all fantastic."

"Of course you'd say that. You're my boyfriend, it's in the job description," Blaine rolled his eyes, but smiled anyway. Kurt's confidence in his talent meant a lot to him.

"I hope that's not true, because if you're lying about how delicious my cooking is, we're going to have trouble, Blaine," Kurt answered, picking out a black shirt and examining it with a critical eye.

"Your cooking is heavenly, Kurt," Blaine assured him, amused.

"Good. Now, try this on for me. I don't think I've seen you in this shirt before," Kurt gave him the shirt and started rummaging through one of the drawers, trying to decide if he would combine it with a tie or a bowtie.

Blaine took the t-shirt he was wearing off, before slipping into the shirt and buttoning it up. He looked at himself in the mirror and Kurt stood behind him, holding a red bowtie and a grey tie over each of his shoulders, thoughtfully. He finally decided to go for the tie, so he put the bowtie on top of the dresser and nudged Blaine to turn around so he could help him put the tie on. Blaine had spent most of his life wearing suits and tying his own ties, especially considering since his father had never really been the kind of man to use that sort of thing as a bonding excuse, but he didn't care. He loved how Kurt always seemed happy to do these things for him, these little things that spoke volumes about trust, intimacy and familiarity and about the love and caring he had missed his whole life.

Kurt placed a quick peck on his lips when he finished with the knot. "There, all done."

Blaine smiled and looked into the mirror once again. "How do I look?"

"Absolutely beautiful," Kurt smiled, too, before turning around to go into the bathroom to work on his hair.

Blaine used the opportunity to shove the ring box into his pocket.

* * *

Kurt's heart was swelling with pride inside his chest. He looked around at all the amazing work of Blaine's classmates and then at the corner in which Blaine's pictures were displayed. He had spent most of his time by his boyfriend's side, but now one of his teachers had approached him, and Kurt had decided to give them some space. Burt and Carole were roaming around the room, checking out the other photographers, but Kurt had no desire to wander. His blue eyes went back to Blaine's work. Many of the pictures were of places, of random things, of Robert and Brownie, of Burt at the shop. There was one of Finn's profile up-close in black and white that looked amazing and one of Carole with her hands buried in the earth in her backyard, planting new flowers for the spring. But at least half of them were of Kurt. Kurt sleeping, baking, laughing, looking away, kissing Blaine's cheek. There were so many that Kurt lost count of how many times he saw his own face on the wall.

"Your boyfriend's really talented," Burt said, standing next to him. Kurt tilted his head towards his dad and smiled at him.

"He is, isn't he?" He sighed in contentment. "Where's Carole?"

"She went to the restroom for a moment," Burt answered, eying Blaine in a mix of anxiety and enthusiasm. "If it's taking so long to talk to him, it has to be something good, right?"

"I'm sure everything is alright," Kurt said, trying to reassure himself more than his father. He swallowed, nervous for an entirely different reason. "Dad?"

Burt heard the way Kurt's voice wavered. "What's wrong, Kurt?"

"I…" Kurt's fingers closed around his father's arm, like he used to do when he was little and he was looking for support. "I bought a ring for Blaine today."

Burt's hand found Kurt's where it was resting near his elbow and squeezed it. "You did?"

"Yeah." Kurt felt as if a million ants were walking around in his stomach. It was a weird sensation.

A slow, but very, very happy smile spread on Burt's lips. He pulled his son into a hug so tight that Kurt was sure some of his joints actually cracked. "Kurt, that's amazing."

"I know…" Kurt gulped, causing Burt to frown at him.

"You don't look very excited," Burt pointed out.

"I'm just not sure if I should propose," Kurt confessed, glancing quickly at Blaine to check that he was still busy. "We've never talked about marriage, I don't even know if he _wants_ to get married…"

Burt cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out. Maybe you should talk to him."

"I don't know why I bought the damn thing," Kurt said, exasperated. "I went shopping for a new pair of jeans to wear tonight and I saw the ring at the jewelry shop and… it looked so perfect…"

"Kurt, don't freak out about this," Burt patted his back. "Having a ring doesn't mean you have to propose immediately. Just… take your time, if you're not ready."

Kurt's eyes fell on Blaine again. He seemed to be having a very intense conversation with his teacher. "I really, really love him, dad. He's everything to me. I don't want to make a mistake."

Burt actually chuckled at that. "Kurt, you'd have to be blind not to see how crazy Blaine is about you."

Blaine chose that particular moment to turn his head to the side very quickly and his eyes found Kurt in an instant. They were shiny and a little wide and Kurt thought he saw a flash of longing in them, as if being on opposites sides of the room was too much for Blaine to bear. It was gone in just a second, as Blaine turned his attention back to the man still talking to him, and Blaine shook his head in answer to something he was saying, but Kurt had seen it and it had been enough.

* * *

Blaine had been standing there with Kurt, watching how Carole and Burt walked around watching the other parts of the exhibit, and just enjoying a little time alone when Blaine's teacher approached them. Knowing it had to be about Blaine's grade, Kurt had excused himself and let them to talk on their own.

"You've done a wonderful job, Blaine," Mr. Richards said. He was an older man, in his sixties. He had been a photographer for numerous magazines and newspapers and had become a teacher just a few years prior, when his health didn't allow him to travel so much anymore.

"Thanks, Mr. Richards," Blaine smiled, incredibly pleased.

"You have a natural talent for this," Mr. Richards got closer to one of the pictures to examine the details. "You know, every year, we get a bunch of new students. Some of them are here because they really like doing this, some of them because they think it's a nice hobby… but most of them will end up doing something else with their lives. You, on the other hand, are going to do great things as a photographer."

Blaine wasn't sure he had heard so many compliments from anyone besides Kurt and the Hummels in his life, and his heart started bouncing inside his chest, happily.

"I don't think I need to tell you I'm giving you the highest grade," Mr. Richards looked up from the picture of Brownie sleeping next to the window. "These are all excellent."

Blaine's smile was so big he was sure his face would be sore the next day. "Thank you so much. You don't know how much I appreciate this…"

The man was quiet for a moment. He lingered at a picture of Kurt's face. He had been sleeping when Blaine took the picture, half of his face buried in his pillow, but looking so peaceful and beautiful that Blaine had needed to put it up for the exhibit. Even after Kurt had chased him around the apartment to try and take it from him.

"Someone special, I assume?" Mr. Richards asked.

Blaine grinned. "That's my boyfriend," he answered, proudly, not caring what people thought, not caring about anything else but letting the world know he loved that man.

"What does your boyfriend think about Boston?" Mr. Richards said then and Blaine frowned, confused.

"Boston?"

"I'm planning to open an art gallery in Boston," Mr. Richards explained. "My daughter lives there and she always complains that there aren't enough art galleries, which I have to agree with. I've been thinking about doing something about it, but I want a young artist to run it, someone who can exhibit and sell their own work at the same time as selling sculptures and paintings from other local artists." Mr. Richards straightened up and looked at Blaine from behind his rectangular-rimmed glasses. "I've been considering asking one of my students and… they're all bright, I have to say, but you're the brightest, Blaine. I'd love it if you could take over the gallery."

Blaine gaped, shocked. Was someone actually offering to pay him to do what he loved for a living? He had been dreaming about an opportunity like this since he had discovered his love for photography, and especially since he had cut all attachments to his parents.

But he couldn't ask Kurt to go to Boston with him. His whole life was in Ohio: his family, his home, the bakery he had worked so hard to have since he was a teenager… Kurt wouldn't want to leave everything behind just because Blaine was offered a job.

Even if it wasn't just _any_ job.

Even if it was the one he had been dreaming of his entire life.

"So, what do you say?" Mr. Richards clapped his hands together, excited. "Can I count on you?"

Blaine snapped his head to the side and his eyes immediately found Kurt, who was standing across the room with Burt, talking quietly. He was so beautiful, so unique, so perfect. The dreams and fantasies Blaine'd had about the man he wanted to fall in love with years ago didn't even begin to describe how amazing Kurt was. He was everything and he couldn't ever leave him behind just for something as stupid as a job. He would work for the rest of his life at the bakery if that meant he could stay with Kurt. The rest didn't matter to him.

He looked back at Mr. Richards and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't do it."

Mr. Richards seemed confused, as if he wasn't expecting his offer to be rejected. "But Blaine! It's a magnificent opportunity for you!"

"I know it is," Blaine replied, sighing. "But I can't do it. Not without Kurt and he won't leave Ohio. This is where his family is, our family."

Mr. Richards was obviously disappointed. He patted Blaine on the arm. "Listen, boy, there's no pressure. I'm planning to open the gallery in the fall. Take a couple of weeks and think about it. You know where to find me if you change your mind…"

"I just can't leave Kurt, Mr. Richards. I've been looking for him forever," Blaine said, feeling a lump in his throat, feeling his entire body urging him to go hold Kurt, to have him close, to make sure he was still there.

Mr. Richards insisted one more time that he should think about it before leaving him, but Blaine didn't need to. Kurt walked towards him as soon as he realized he was done talking with his professor and gave him a hug, immediately enveloping Blaine in the sweet scent that made Blaine feel home.

He didn't care about any of his dreams, as long as he could have Kurt, because Kurt himself was the best dream come true he had ever had.

* * *

Something had changed.

Kurt noticed it immediately, but didn't dare making any comments about it until he was sure what was going on. Blaine was silent and thoughtful. Sometimes he stopped Kurt at random times just to hug him, and his hugs were so tight that Kurt couldn't breathe. But when he closed the bakery one afternoon and went upstairs to find Blaine packing his cameras and all his photography stuff into a box and trying to shove it into the closet by the bathroom, he knew he had to do something.

"What are you doing?" He asked, his eyebrows all the way up into his hairline.

"Oh, hi, I, uhm," Blaine jumped and looked around, avoiding Kurt's eyes. "Just making space. My things were everywhere."

"That's not true," Kurt tilted his head to the side in confusion. "You have your own shelf there for all your cameras and photography books. Why are you putting everything away?"

"No reason, really. I was just…" Blaine tried to laugh it off, but it was so painful looking at it that Kurt's heart clenched at the sight and sound.

"Blaine, you don't know how to lie," he cut him off, taking a step towards him, grabbing the box from him and putting it down on the floor. "Tell me the truth. What is it?"

Blaine gulped. "Kurt, it's nothing, please. Just drop it."

"It's obviously something!" Kurt exclaimed, a bit desperately. "Just tell me what it is!"

"I've been offered a job," Blaine answered before he could stop himself.

Kurt blinked for a few seconds before looking truly blissful. "Oh, honey, that's wonderful! What kind of job?"

"In an Art gallery," Blaine replied.

The excitement spread over Kurt's face as he smiled. "That's even better, Blaine! What…?"

"It's in Boston."

The silence was so abrupt that they could almost hear each other's heartbeats. Kurt could feel his breathing quickening, but he tried his best to remain calm.

"You… you're going to Boston?" He asked, choking a bit on his own words. "Is that what you're doing? You're packing your things and leaving?"

Blaine's eyes went wide. "What? No! Kurt, I'm not leaving!"

"Then why didn't you want to tell me about this?" Kurt asked, on the verge of tears.

"Because it doesn't matter!" Blaine took a few steps towards him and pulled him into his arms. "I'm not going. I can't do that."

Kurt clung to him, fisting the shirt Blaine was wearing in his hands and burying his face in his neck. "You could've told me…"

"There was no point, sweetheart," Blaine moved to the couch, still holding Kurt, and sat down, pulling Kurt onto his lap. He rocked back and forth, soothingly. "I'm not going, I thought it wouldn't matter if I didn't mention it…"

Kurt stayed there, just feeling Blaine against him for a few minutes, taking in his scent, feeling the way his chest moved under his hand as he breathe. Blaine's lips were pressed against his temple and they felt warm and perfect. Kurt realized that his greatest fear was having to live without Blaine. It had been only a bit over a year since they had gotten together, but time didn't matter. It was the overwhelming intensity of the love he felt for that man that counted, that convinced him a life without Blaine wasn't worth living.

Finally, Kurt lifted his head and looked into Blaine's hazel eyes, frowning. "Blaine… do you want to go?"

He had to ask. He just had to, because not having Blaine wasn't half as terrible as cutting Blaine's wings after he had worked so hard to let them grow again. What he had caught his boyfriend doing when he had arrived spoke volumes: letting go of a dream made Blaine take a million steps back.

"I only want to be with you," Blaine answered, smiling sweetly at him. "That's all I care about."

Kurt sniffed and snuggled even closer to him. "That doesn't really answer my question."

Blaine chuckled and kissed the top of his boyfriend's head. "It's the kind of job I've always wanted to do, and if it had been here in Ohio I would've jumped at it. But I can't go without you and I can't ask you to go with me…"

"Why not?" Kurt took one of Blaine's hands in between his and started playing with his fingers.

"Because you have everything here. Your work, your family…" Blaine said, shrugging.

Kurt shifted until he was sitting on the couch next to Blaine, looking intently into his eyes. "Blaine… I can bake anywhere."

"And I can take pictures anywhere," Blaine replied, stubbornly.

"Clearly not, since you were putting all your cameras away," Kurt cupped his face in his hand and gave him a peck on the lips. "You need to talk to me. You can't make these decisions on your own. It affects us both…"

"No, it doesn't. I decided not to go so you wouldn't have to…"

"Blaine," Kurt rolled his eyes and put two fingers on Blaine's lips to silence him. "Like I said, I can bake anywhere."

Blaine shook his head and kissed Kurt's fingers until he removed them. "And what about your family?"

" _Our_ family will have to deal with it the same way all the other families do," Kurt answered quietly. "Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays… those will be the times we'll go and spend time with them."

"Kurt…" Blaine couldn't believe what he was hearing. He shook his head again. "This is crazy. You worked so hard to open Ellie's and you're so close to your dad and…"

"And I'm so in love with you, Blaine," Kurt cut him off, nuzzling into his neck. "So in love with you. I want to be happy and I can only be happy if you're happy, too. I know you've wanted this for years and I don't want to be the reason why you let this go…"

"There will be other opportunities…" Blaine assured him, but he didn't sound too convinced. "I can't ask you to do this."

"You're not asking me," Kurt smiled. "I'm offering."

"Kurt…"

"Do you remember what I once told you? About not wanting to leave Ohio because I was afraid I would be alone?" Kurt asked, tracing the outline of Blaine's jaw with his fingertips. Blaine nodded. "Well, I'm not afraid of leaving Ohio _or_ of being alone anymore."

Blaine swallowed, his gaze boring into Kurt's deeply. "Are you completely sure about this?"

Kurt bit his lip, already feeling the excitement pooling in his stomach. "Yeah, I actually think I am."

Blaine moved forward for a kiss and Kurt instantly melted into it. Were they really going to move to Boston? It sounded so surreal. He had woken up this morning without a single idea of how his life would change just mere hours later…

Except for one thing. Kurt had been thinking about making one change without really finding the perfect moment, and now… he needed to know. He needed to take this leap of faith and see if it landed him somewhere safely.

"Do you know what they have in Boston?" He asked against Blaine's lips.

Blaine nuzzled their noses together, smiling so widely that Kurt felt dizzy just by looking at him. "What?"

"Marriage equality," Kurt said, the words coming out in a trembling rush.

Blaine blinked at him blankly. Kurt panicked.

"I was just… you know, it was just a random comment," he said, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice. "I meant that there must be other gay couples there and we won't be judged as much as we are here and we… where are you going?"

Blaine stood up and walked into their room, leaving Kurt there, wondering if he had just scared his boyfriend away. Wondering if he'll ever be able to have more than a boyfriend and deciding he didn't care about the title as long as he could still have Blaine.

Kurt was trembling when Blaine reappeared. He stood by the doorway for a few seconds, just looking at Kurt and the tiny smile on his lips gave Kurt a bit of confidence.

"I thought about that when Mr. Richards told me about the job," Blaine said, quietly. "Wasn't Massachusetts the first state to legalize gay marriage? But the funny thing is, legal or not legal… I had already bought the ring."

Kurt gasped and found himself immediately unable to take another breath. He watched with wide eyes as Blaine made his way back to him and knelt in front of the couch.

"No, no, no, you're not doing this," Kurt started hyperventilating, digging his nails into the cushions. "No, you're not doing this, Blaine."

Blaine startled and fell back on his butt, ending up sitting on the floor instead of kneeling. "Why not?"

"Because I bought a ring, too," Kurt answered and scrambled off of the couch, running to the corner where he kept his sewing machine and opening the little box where he kept different types of buttons. He grabbed a velvet box.

"Oh my fucking god," Blaine covered his mouth with his hand and, as soon as Kurt was close enough, he tugged at his hand, causing him to fall to the floor almost on top of him. Kurt yelped loudly and tried to hold himself before collapsing against Blaine's chest. "Kurt… what are we doing?"

Kurt gave him a watery smile. "Well, sweetheart… I think we're both proposing."

Without being able to hold back, Blaine put a hand on the back of Kurt's neck and brought him in for a desperate kiss, almost whining into it. "But I had another idea for this… dinner and candles and…"

"And I'm doing it now, either way," Kurt interrupted, clutching the box so tightly that it was digging into his palm. "I spent nearly my whole life thinking it would matter how the proposal went, if it was romantic and flawlessly planned, but I just don't care about it anymore, Blaine, because all I want is for you to say yes-"

" _Yes!_ " Blaine exclaimed, without even letting him finish. "Yes, Kurt, always yes."

Kurt laughed as he felt a few tears spilling down his cheeks. He opened the box and took the silver band with a single diamond out to place it on Blaine's finger. "It has my name engraved on the inside. I hope that's fine…"

"Yours has mine," Blaine bit his lip, loving the feeling of the cold metal against his skin as Kurt slid it into place. "Kurt… I love it. I love you."

"I love you, too, but give me my ring before I take yours back," Kurt said, rolling his eyes in pretended impatience.

Blaine chuckled and wiped his tears away quickly, taking the box out of his pocket and presenting it to Kurt. "I practiced this in front of the mirror a million times, so I'm going to be a bit formal about it, okay?" Blaine murmured, making Kurt giggle as he cried a bit more. He nodded and Blaine took a deep breath. "Kurt, you're the love of my life. You saved me. You're the reason I'm happy. I want to be with you for the rest of my life and…" Blaine closed his eyes, frowning. "Damn, I forgot what was next. I have it on paper, let me just…"

"Oh my God, Blaine, just do it!" Kurt sobbed breathlessly.

"Okay, okay," Blaine cleared his throat and grabbed Kurt's hand. "Kurt… will you be my husband?"

"I'll be your husband. Yes, Blaine, _yes_ ," he whispered, overcome with emotion. He rested their foreheads together as he looked down to see Blaine putting the beautiful silver ring with two diamonds on his finger.

They kissed and they cried and they rolled on the floor laughing. Robert started barking at them and then whining, without understanding what the hell was going on. Brownie watched the whole scene from her place on the kitchen table, completely uninterested, where she was soaking up the last rays of sun. They started fighting over who was going to be the one to call Burt and Carole to tell them the news and then they chased each other around the apartment for the phone, until Blaine ended up wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist and throwing him over his shoulder with surprising ease. He carried him into the bedroom and dropped him on the bed, crawling on top of him immediately and silencing his protests with a burning kiss.

Neither of them remembered to call anyone after that, lost as they were in the other's sweet smiles and mesmerizing touches that made the bitterness of their past vanish completely.

Not for the first time since Kurt had Blaine in his life, he looked into his future and saw nothing but happiness.

Not for the first time since Blaine had Kurt in his life, he looked into his future and he was actually able to see one.

Feeling happier than he had ever felt, Blaine grabbed his fiancé's hand and kissed him deeply, deciding to start living that future right away.


	19. Epilogue

**Five years later.**

Autumn was absolutely breathtaking in Boston. It would be fair to say it was Kurt's favorite time of the year. It was the perfect season for scarves, cuddles, walks in the park and coffee dates with his husband.

Kurt had re-opened Ellie's once they had settled down in Boston and Blaine was doing amazingly well at the Art Gallery. They had gotten married only two months after getting engaged. Kurt had been anxious to become Blaine's husband, and Blaine had been anxious to become a Hummel, so there had been no point in waiting.

They flew to Ohio quite frequently, every time their jobs made it possible. They loved to just drop by unannounced and hear the squeals of happiness of Burt and Carole when they opened their front door. They had never seen the Andersons again, they didn't know Blaine was married and they hadn't called them to tell them when they became grandparents, either. Blaine was done with them for good.

They had adopted James when he was three years old. He was five now and neither Blaine nor Kurt had ever imagined they could love someone as much as they loved their son. He had olive skin and dark hair and a smile that made it impossible for Kurt to say no when he begged for one more cookie, daddy, or just one more cupcake, and I swear I'll eat all my broccoli at dinner!

James made their Sundays even more magical than they had been when it was only the two of them. (Yes, the sex happened a little less often, with having a child, but it was still damn good, especially since Blaine had the tendency to wake Kurt up in the middle of the night when he was sure they wouldn't be interrupted). They would take James to all the places he liked, which happened to be all the places Blaine had always wanted to go as a child, but his parents never took him to. They saw every new Disney movie at the theatre, they went to the zoo at least twice a year and, James' favorite, the Museum of Natural History. Their little boy loved dinosaurs and everything that had to do with them. They had to drag him out just before closing time when they took him there. Blaine was convinced their son would grow up to be a paleontologist. Kurt cringed at the thought of dirty clothes and excavations.

But this Sunday, they decided to keep it simple. Grandpa Burt and Grandma Carole had given James a bike for his birthday and Blaine was determined to teach him how to use it. He'd had to learn on his own when he was a kid, so Kurt knew this was a big deal for him. Blaine always worked hard not to make the same mistakes Walter and Amanda had done with him.

"You're not gonna let me fall, right, papa?" James asked, looking at him with a severe frown from under his shiny red helmet.

"Never, buddy," Blaine promised, patting the seat on the bicycle. James climbed, still unsure. "I'm not going to let go until you tell me you're ready, okay? Trust me."

"I trust you, papa," James answered and flashed Kurt an excited smile.

Kurt, who was standing near them, with Robert lying at his feet and arms crossed over his chest, smiled back. "You'll do great, James."

As soon as Blaine started pushing gently at the bike and James started pedaling, Kurt went back to the bench where they had dropped their coats and other stuff and looked into Blaine's bag for his camera. His husband had taught him some basic photography skills and, though he would never be as good as Blaine was, he was quite decent. Much better than Blaine would always be at baking, at least.

He snapped a few pictures with the camera and then one with his cellphone and sent it in a text to Burt, who replied almost immediately, happy to know his grandson was enjoying his present and promising to show it to Carole as soon as he saw her.

James was inexhaustible and kept going for a very long hour, until Kurt insisted he needed a break to at least drink some water. They sat on the grass and drank water and James asked a million times if Kurt had seen him do this and that, to which Kurt nodded enthusiastically. He hadn't even blinked.

After his break, James felt confident enough to try riding on his own. Blaine helped him back on the bike and pushed him for a little distance before releasing him completely. Both Kurt and Blaine clapped encouragingly as James kept going, until he wavered and fell on his left side. His parents immediately ran to him, followed by Robert, who was awfully protective of James.

Kurt kneeled on the ground, not caring about getting dirt on his designer jeans, and picked his boy up onto his lap. "Are you okay? James, did you get hurt?"

To his surprise, a huge smile spread on his son's face. "That was fun! Let's do it again!"

Kurt sighed and rolled his eyes. Sometimes James seemed almost as if he was Blaine's biological son. That puppy enthusiasm was typical of his husband and it had to be contagious somehow.

"That's my boy," Blaine chuckled, wrapping his arms around him in a hug. "Come on, let's do it again. Try not to lean so much to the side this time."

Kurt went back to the bench with their stuff and started rummaging through his messenger bag, looking for the Spiderman Band-Aids. He kept two in hand, almost certain that, by the end of the day, he would probably have to put one on his son and his husband, too. It wouldn't be the first time.

James managed to ride the bike perfectly on his fifth try. When he realized he had done it, he dropped the bike to the ground and ran back to his daddies, a huge smile pasted on his face and his arms raised in the air, ready to hug them both. Kurt picked him up immediately, kissing his cheeks as he congratulated him for doing it so well. Blaine snapped a picture.

"Did you see me, daddy?" James asked, bouncing a bit on Kurt's hip. "I went all the way to that tree, I did it all by myself!"

"And you were amazing, J!" Blaine patted him gently on the back. "You're already better at it than your uncle Finn."

"Anyone is better than Finn," Kurt snorted, remembering a family trip they had taken on bikes a couple of years ago and that had proved, for the hundredth time, that Finn was the most awkward creature to have ever been born. He saw James had a little scrape on his knee, so he passed him to Blaine and unwrapped the Band-Aid. "There, all better."

"Can I do it again?" James looked at them with pleading eyes.

"Not today, sweetheart. It's getting late and we should go home. You have school tomorrow," Kurt answered. A little leaf falling from the nearest tree got caught in Blaine's curls. Kurt reached over and took it off, leaning in to kiss his husband on the lips. Autumn reminded him of Blaine's eyes. The color was so similar, so beautiful.

James was disappointed that they couldn't stay longer to play. Then, he seemed to have a different idea. "Can we bake some of the cookies from Grandma Ellie's book so I can take them to school tomorrow?"

Kurt stopped staring into his husband's eyes and turned to his son. He kissed his tiny nose. "Of course, baby. We'll make those chocolate ones you like so much." He grabbed Robert's leash and hooked it to the dog's collar.

"What about me? Don't I get baked goods, too?" Blaine pouted adorably at him, as he started following Kurt out of the park, as James lay down his head on his papa's shoulder.

"I guess we could make some cupcakes for you," Kurt replied, nudging him playfully.

"Those ones with coffee, syrup and honey?" Blaine asked, also teasingly. Kurt just giggled. "Those are my favorite."

Kurt sighed and then he had to kiss Blaine again. He just _had_ to. "You know what? Those are my favorite, too."

After linking their free hands together, the three Hummel boys started to make the way back home.


End file.
